TMNT Miwa Chronicles
by Black Raider
Summary: The title kind of says it all. These are the TMNT episodes from "The Pulverizer" and onward, only with Miwa thrown in! Read on as Miwa joins her turtle brothers as they fight off Foot Ninjas, Kraang robots, and other enemies as Miwa adjusts to her new life with her new family while also considering her feelings for a certain turtle. Rated T for violence; very long chapter warning
1. The Pulverizer

**The Pulverizer**

Miwa sighed, staring up at the ceiling as she lay on her back on the concrete. She glanced over at Leo, sitting right beside her, with one leg dangling over the edge. She looked over at Raph and Mikey, currently standing next to the old subway tracks. Raph leaned against the concrete platform and Mikey crouched on the ground. The four of them were bored and getting impatient, waiting for Donnie and his "big surprise" he had for them.

_If he doesn't get here soon, I'll have my own surprise for him. _Miwa inwardly groaned. _A knuckle sandwich._

Mikey sighed. "What's taking so long? Donnie knows I have a short atten—" He looked down and his eyes brightened. "Ooh, gum!" He reached down and grabbed it, but Raph smacked the old gum from his little brother's hand.

"Don't even think about it, Mikey." Miwa warned as she sat up. "You don't know where that's been." She readjusted her green mask and made sure her hair was all gathered up in a bun on her head. She blew her bangs from her face and straightened out her ninja garb, unsheathing and sheathing her gauntlet blades a few times. _Come on, Donnie. We're _all_ going to have short attention spans by the time you get here._

"Man, this better be worth it." Raph growled.

Then, the sound of squeaking metal echoed down the tunnel, and lights shown from around the corner. The three terrapins and their human sister stood and watched as a graffiti-covered subway car (at least it used to be) traveled down the tracks and grinded to a halt right in front of them. They stared in shock, their mouths hanging open, obviously awestruck by the strange yet amazing machine. Mikey gasped out loud, his eyes wide with wonder.

"Worth it." Raph announced.

"Absolutely!" Miwa agreed.

The car _ding-donged _and the doors opened, revealing a proud-looking Donatello. "So?" He asked expectantly, leaning against the door.

"You turned Leatherhead's old subway car into _this_?" Leo clarified.

"Donnie, have I ever told you how awesome you are?" Raph asked.

"No you haven't." Donnie replied with a smile.

"Well I am _seriously _considering it." Raph said.

"Nice handiwork, Don." Miwa complimented. "You really outdid yourself."

"What do you call this thing?" Leo asked. Mikey hurried to the side of the car, looking it over.

"Well," Donnie started. "It's a trans-axel, multi-armored, electromagnetic—"

"Shellraiser!" Mikey announced, looking about as sane as a madman.

His brothers and Miwa blinked. "What?" Donnie asked.

"The Shellraiser!" Mikey repeated. "It's the perfect name!"

The boys and Miwa exchanged looks. "That _is _the perfect name." Leo realized.

"Of course it is bro!" Mikey almost laughed. "You guys _always _underestimate me!" He looked down. "Ooh! Gum!" He dived down to grab it.

"No comment." Miwa droned. "Hey, let me in!" She jumped into the Shellraiser, followed by her brothers. Donnie led them through the rather large car and sat down in one of the seats. He pressed a button in front of him and everything inside the car lit up: extra seats, monitors almost everywhere, steering wheels, computer-like machines, buttons and levers, and some strange contraptions none of them (except Donnie) could name.

"Now," Donnie explained. "I've assigned everyone a station based on your individual skill sets. I can't drive because my station's in the back. So—"

"Driver!" Leo, Mikey, and Raph called. The three of them darted for the driver's seat, leaving Donnie and Miwa in the dust. The terrapin and human shared a look as Donnie approached the quarreling trio. He slammed his staff against the seat to silence his brothers.

"Leo drives." Donnie declared.

"Why?" Mikey and Raph demanded.

"He's least likely to hit something just for fun." Donnie noted as Leo sat down. "Except Miwa, of course."

"True." Mikey, Raph, and Miwa nodded. Mikey and Raph took their spots: Raph at what Donnie called the "shooter's deck" and Mikey in front of the navigation.

"Sorry I don't really have a spot for you, Miwa." Donnie said sincerely. "I kinda made this thing before you came around."

"No problem, Donnie." Miwa shrugged. "I'll hang out with Mikey in navigation." She sat down on a box beside Mikey, much to the young turtle's delight.

Leo sighed readily. "So, how do we get this baby going?"

Donnie turned on the communications monitor. "Okay, just ease the throttle forward ever so slight—" Leo didn't "ease the throttle" so much as he just punched it, sending everyone jerking backwards a little. Miwa fell to the floor.

"Leo!" Miwa snapped. "Watch the throttle!"

"Whoo!" Raph whooped. "What is powering this thing?"

"The Kraang power cell we got from Leatherhead!" Donnie announced. Miwa looked to her side and noticed some shard of rock, encased in a glass case but giving off pink surges of sparks. She could feel much power beneath that shield, and it made her uneasy.

"I thought you said that was dangerous." Leo asked. "Like the Kraang could track it."

"That's why I put it under a lead glass shield." Donnie explained. "Now I can regulate the output _and _prevent the Kraang from detecting its signal." Donnie crossed his arms, obviously proud.

"Looks like you've covered all the bases." Miwa noted.

"I hate to interrupt, but….." Mikey pointed to his own monitor. "Dead end!"

"Uh, D-Donnie!" Leo called. "How do I stop this thing?"

"Don't!" Donnie ordered.

"What?" Leo cried.

"Trust me!" Donnie insisted.

Miwa looked into the monitors at the very solid-looking wall they were approaching very fast. "Donnie, we're gonna crash!"

"Just trust me!" Donnie repeated. Miwa whimpered and clutched Mikey's seat. Leo and Raph clutched their wheels as tight as they could. Mikey pulled a hairdresser's dryer over his head. The four of them shouted in terror, but Donnie simply smiled and pressed another button. In seconds, the dead end gave way to a ramp that spit the Shellraiser out onto the streets of New York, the large wheels on the side shifting down so the car could drive properly. The five of them grunted as they hit the ground hard, but the car kept driving.

"Donnie!" Raph smiled broadly. "You're awesome!"

"And a madman!" Miwa huffed. Leo simply sped down the road, making sharp turns and forcing Miwa to the ground again. _This is gonna get real old real fast._

Mikey started humming a tune as he stared at his screen. "This thing have a stereo?" He asked Donnie.

"What good would this thing be without some tunes?" Donnie pressed a button, and some classical piano music began to play.

"Ooh, I love this song!" Miwa gushed.

Raph, however, gave Donnie a deadpan look. "Are you serious?"

"Check out the second movement." Donnie pressed another button, and rock music blared from the speakers.

"Aw man." Miwa groaned, covering her ears. But her protests were drowned out by the music and by the boys' cheering as Leo sped through the streets, somehow not scaring the people on the sidewalks. Mikey jumped onto a box and held his arms out like he was surfing, leaving his seat open for Miwa to steal. She held onto the seat for dear life, frustrated and annoyed by her rowdy brothers. _Brothers will be brothers, I guess. _She sighed. Donnie pressed yet another button, and the Shellraiser began to bounce rear up a few feet like a horse. The boys continued to whoop and laugh as Donnie, Raph, and Mikey grabbed the straps from the ceiling, hanging on tight while Leo swerved back and forth across the street, swinging the Shellraiser's weight side to side. He switched the throttle again and again until he started spinning, leaving marks on the street like donuts. His brothers only laughed as the momentum lifted them off their feet while Miwa clung to her chair. Finally, Leo straightened out the car and resumed his speedy travel down the road.

"Who taught you maniacs how to drive?!" Miwa shouted.

"Nobody!" Leo laughed. Miwa only groaned.

Raph lifted the manhole cover-like skylight and stood on the ladder, letting the wind from the ride blow into his face and make his mask tails whip around. He smiled, but his smile soon disappeared when he noticed something. His eyes widened.

Leo heard a knocking and Raph's voice call, "Leo, pull over!" He obeyed, pulling the Shellraiser up alongside the street.

"Oh, finally!" Miwa sighed, releasing her death grip on her seat. "Remind me to _never _get in a car with you guys again." She joined her brothers as they gathered around Leo's chair, staring at one of the monitors. They noticed three men on the screen, one of them carrying a large metal bin full of who-knows-what. Each man shared a familiar tattoo that the Turtles and Miwa recognized at once.

"Purple Dragons!" Leo laughed. "This night keeps getting better and better!"

"Oh yeah!" Raph agreed, rubbing his knuckles. "It's like candy for my knuckles! And tonight's Halloween!"

"Let's go kick some shell!" Miwa urged.

"Oh, wait a minute!" Donnie pointed to the screen. "Who's that?" They looked to see a shadowy figure drop in front of the Purple Dragons, halting their escape.

"Excuse me, boys." The figure, obviously a male, said in a strong voice. "I think you forgot to pay for that." He stood up, tall and proud, to reveal a teenager in a green suit, similar to the design of a turtle: green skin, black shell designs with a "P" on the back, and a yellow plastron design on the front. He also wore red knee and elbow pads and black boots and gloves. A red mask was tied around his eyes and some of his black hair (probably his bangs) escaped his green hood. The belt around his waist had a belt buckle with "P" on it. He continued his speech in his strong voice, glaring at the Purple Dragons. "But don't worry. I accept cash, check, or teeth."

"Huh." Leo mused. "That was a pretty good line."

"What are _you _gonna do?" Fong demanded, dropping the metal bin. "There's one of you and three of us."

"You wanna call a couple friends and make it even?" the teenager taunted. He jumped down from the dumpster he stood on, ready to face the three men.

"This guy's got guts!" Raph said with a smile.

"Impressive." Miwa nodded.

"It's time to face the wrath of: The Pulverizer!" the teenager announced, holding his fists ready.

Mikey laughed with anticipation. "This is gonna be great!"

"You go, kid!" Miwa cheered, her eyes glued to the screen.

"Hi-yah!" the Pulverizer shouted. "Judo! Hi-yah! Punch punch! Ha!"

The boys and Miwa were soon met with disappointment, as the Pulverizer didn't even touch the Purple Dragons as he displayed his "wrath" with a myriad of weak punches and kicks.

"Or…..not…" Leo groaned.

"I take back my excitement." Miwa huffed, crossing her arms. The five of them suddenly winced and groaned in sympathy as the Purple Dragons began mercilessly beating the Pulverizer, who could only yelp and cry out in pain.

"Aw, the Pulverizer's gettin' just…" Mikey paused. "Well, I don't know the word, but we gotta help him!"

"Why?" Miwa asked. "He got himself into this mess, he can get himself out. Besides, this is quite entertaining to watch." The boys stared at her with deadpan looks. "What?" Miwa shrugged. Then, she noticed the Pulverizer take an exceptionally hard punch to the face. "Ooh, that's got to hurt." She sighed. "Fine, let's go help him." They hurried from the car, sneaking up behind the Purple Dragons as they prepared to beat the Pulverizer even further.

"How do you like the odds now, Fong?" Leo demanded as he and his comrades prepared to fight, surrounding the Purple Dragons.

"Whoa!" the Pulverizer smiled. "The Turtles!"

Donnie raised an eyebrow (A/N: do they have eyebrows?) "How does he know who we—" Fong suddenly punched him aside, interrupting his thought.

Miwa jumped up and kicked Fong to the ground. "Less talking, more fighting!" She ducked as another Dragon came her way. Donnie landed hard on the ground, narrowly avoiding a second Purple Dragon's fist as he came down. Donnie kicked the man's stomach, sending him rolling aside to the Pulverizer, who chopped his stomach for good measure.

"Ha ha, oh nice combo!" The Pulverizer laughed. "High five!" He held up his hand, only for the Purple Dragon at his feet to grab it and twist it, tossing the teenager into Donnie. Mikey quickly kicked the Dragon to the ground. Leo managed to kick Fong aside, only for the third Purple Dragon to grab him from behind. Fong, noticing the metal bin and realizing he had a chance to escape, grabbed the bin and ran for it.

"Fong's getting away!" Leo cried, but the man on his back prevented him from moving. Raph helped; he grabbed the man and threw him aside. Fong paused when he noticed he was running straight for Donnie, Miwa and Mikey and turned to run the other way.

"Oh no he don't!" Mikey called, letting loose the long chain of his kusarigama and swinging it towards Fong.

"I got him!" the Pulverizer reached for Fong, but only ended up getting tangled in Mikey's chain. Fong ran off and disappeared around the corner. "Oh, dang! Almost had him!" He noticed Miwa dart past him and suddenly grabbed her foot. "Hey, I got one!"

Miwa yelped as she crashed to the ground. "Let go, you moron! I was going after him!"

"Yeah, to help him!" the Pulverizer laughed triumphantly.

"She's with us, dude." Mikey droned.

The Pulverizer's eyes widened and he suddenly looked sheepish. "Oh, sorry." He released Miwa's foot and let her rise.

"Not cool, man." Mikey yanked on his kusarigama chain, forcing the Pulverizer to flip a few times before crashing to the ground. Suddenly, sirens sounded down the street, forcing everyone to pause. Fong's two Dragon comrades ran off after their leader while the Turtles and Miwa darted off to the Shellraiser.

"Cops!" Leo announced. "We gotta go!"

"Uh, hey!" The Pulverizer called as he followed the team. "Great teamwork guys!"

"Look," Raph growled as his brothers and sister piled into the car. "I don't know who you think you are or what you think you're doin', but don't." He was the last to get into the car, leaving the Pulverizer in the street.

The teenager wasn't ready to go, however. "Maybe sometime we can get together and—" Raph grabbed the Pulverizer's shoulder and spun him around before shutting the doors. Leo sped off down the road, back to the entrance to the subway tracks that would lead them home. Donnie turned the stereo back on, drowning out any noise from outside.

Leo looked up questioningly. "You guys hear something?"

"No. Keep driving." Miwa insisted. "I want to get home sooner rather than later." The boys only shrugged and Leo continued to drive. "Shall I be the first to say that that was the most embarrassing things that's ever happened?"

"It could be worse." Mikey shrugged. "We could've gotten hit in the face with pudding."

"Come on, guys." Leo consoled. "You win some, you lose some. It was just the Purple Dragons anyway."

"Exactly." Raph huffed. "Those guys are easy to beat, but we didn't because some idiot got in the way."

"They'll be back." Leo assured. "And we'll be ready."

Miwa looked around her, sighing to herself. "Does anyone else feel like something's weird?"

Minutes later, they arrived at the lair, grinding to a halt once more. The car's chime went off again as the doors opened and an audible _CRASH _rang out. Donnie poked his head out and looked down. "We got a problem!" He announced. He jumped from the car and knelt beside someone partially unconscious on the ground.

"What the….?" Leo cocked his head at the sight.

"Tell me that's not who I think it is." Miwa groaned as she and the others filed out of the Shellraiser. Sure enough, it was: the Pulverizer, who had somehow ended up right in front of their home.

"Are you okay?" Donnie asked the Pulverizer as he sat up.

"Sure." The Pulverizer assured, but he held his stomach and groaned a little. "Y-you can survive with just one kidney, right?"

"Great." Raph groaned. "First this doofus gets in the way of a good Purple Dragon stomping and now he knows where our lair is?"

"Oh, no problem." The Pulverizer assured. "I blacked out most of the way here."

"How do you even know we exist?" Donnie asked as he stood.

"Oh, I saw you months ago." The Pulverizer explained. "You were fighting some guy in a giant metal suit on the rooftops right next to my apartment!"

"Must be when we tangled with Stockman for the first time." Leo realized.

"Oh yeah!" The Pulverizer said with a wide smile. He pointed to Leo. "You were like, 'Let's finish this!'" He looked at Raph. "Oh, and you were like all, 'You're going down!'" He smiled at Mikey. "Oh, and then you were like all, 'Bees!'" He pointed to Donnie. "Oh and you were like…" He paused. "You were like the strong silent type." He finally looked at Miwa. "And you were like—" He froze, staring at Miwa. "Actually, I don't remember you. You new to the team or something?"

"None of your beeswax." Miwa snapped.

The Pulverizer chuckled a little nervously. "Well, I must say, milady, you're pretty cute."

"Ugh." Miwa rolled her eyes.

"Dudes, we have a stalker!" Mikey said excitedly. But his brothers and Miwa weren't so excited. Raph looked kinda miffed and frustrated. Leo looked a little confused. Donnie looked skeptical and bored. Miwa put her hands on her hips and stared at the teenager.

"You inspired me to become a hero!" the Pulverizer explained. "I saw you guys and I thought 'what do they got that I haven't got?'"

"Years of training under a grandmaster of ninjutsu." Donnie suggested.

"Competence coupled with intelligence." Miwa added.

"No." The Pulverizer said triumphantly. "An awesome costume! Where'd you get yours by the way?"

"Uh, we are _not _wearing costumes." Donnie droned. "We're mutants."

"Except me." Miwa piped up. "I'm just a regular ninja. But they're mutant turtles."

"Right." The Pulverizer nodded disbelievingly. But when he noticed their serious expressions, he curiously poked Mikey's shoulder, realizing it was flesh and not fabric. He tapped Mikey's all-too-real shell. "Cool! How do I do that?"

Raph poked the Pulverizer's chest, pushing him back a few inches. "You: stop talking." He turned to his brothers and sister. "We gotta get him out of here!"

"I couldn't agree more." Miwa nodded.

"Whoa! This place is amazing!" the Pulverizer called from inside the lair, much to the Turtles' and Miwa's shock and annoyance. "What's with all the pizza boxes?"

"Oh bloody brilliant." Miwa groaned. "We better get in there before he hurts himself." She and the boys hurried inside as the Pulverizer discovered Donnie's workshop. He was currently messing with a deactivated Metalhead, twisting the robot's head around.

"Hey, don't touch that!" Donnie snapped.

"Hey, what's this?" The Pulverizer asked, taking up a piece of a Kraang remote. Donnie resisted a groan before snatching the advanced tech from Pulverizer's hands. "That looks like that stuff those guys were stealing."

"That's impossible." Donnie scoffed. "It's Kraang tech."

"What-what's a Kraang?" Pulverizer asked.

"If we told you we'd have to kill you." Raph said. He suddenly got a mischievous grin on his face. "You see the Kraang are aliens from another dimension."

Leo elbowed his brother before he could say anything else. "Why would the Purple Dimwits want Kraang robotics? It's not like _they'd_ know what to do with it."

"Unless they're stealing it for someone else." Raph suggested.

"Well, who do we know that would be interested in stolen, evil robot parts?" Donnie asked, a contemplating look on his face. After mere seconds, the answer became clear.

"Baxter Stockman." Donnie, Leo, and Raph said.

"Donatello." Mikey and Miwa said. Donnie, Leo, and Raph stared at them.

"Baxter Stockman." Mikey corrected.

"Baxter Stockman?" Miwa asked.

"You know him?" Leo asked.

"Colored guy? Dorky glasses and an even dorkier pink sweater?" Miwa clarified. "Slight afro? Issues on an intellectual and competent level?"

"That's him." Leo nodded.

"I think I've seen him around." Miwa nodded. "He works for Shredder now. At least, he started working for him after your little incident with his Mousers. He's been working on something for Xever since he mutated into a fish. I bet you anything the Purple Dragons were stealing that stuff for his robotics building."

"We'll check it out." Leo announced. "Donnie, fix the Shellraiser and take Captain Rubber Pants home." He, Raph, and Mikey hurried off.

"What?" Donnie realized he was being left behind. "Wait! Why do I have to—?"

"So what now?" Pulverizer asked, leaning against the table. He only succeeded in knocking some bottles of who-knows-what-kind-of liquids to the floor. He fumbled as he tried to catch them, but they all broke before he could. Donnie inwardly groaning, hanging his head.

"Don't worry, Donnie." Miwa assured. "I'll stay with you."

"Thanks Miwa." Donnie smiled.

"Oh good!" Pulverizer smiled. "Then we can finally get to know each other."

Miwa unsheathed her gauntlet claws and held them up for Pulverizer to see. "These claws are _not _for show. Don't make me use them." She sheathed her claws and led Donnie to the Shellraiser. "Let's get to work."

"Ooh, feisty." Pulverizer laughed giddily. "I like that."

"Will you please make sure I don't murder him before the night is over?" Miwa requested as she and Donnie grabbed the tools and climbed into the Shellraiser.

"Sure thing." Donnie nodded.

The two of them got to work. Miwa went underneath the Shellraiser and looked at the wiring and the pipes underneath, tightening some of the gears with a monkey wrench. Although, with Pulverizer constantly bugging her with his flirting, Miwa felt like her time would be better spent _hitting _the Pulverizer with the monkey wrench. She decided to keep her mask on for now; after all, Pulverizer had yet to remove his as well. Donnie soon called the konoichi up to the top of the Shellraiser for some torch work and Miwa hurriedly joined him. Pulverizer soon discovered something new to mess with: Donnie's bō staff.

Pulverizer spun the staff around, laughing gleefully. "Wicked staff!"

"Put that down." Donnie ordered, not even looking up from his work.

"Check out my sweet moves!" Pulverizer boasted, swinging the staff again.

"I said put that down!" Donnie repeated, still focused on his torching.

"Numbskull." Miwa groaned.

"No, let me show you this _one _thing." Pulverizer took the bō and started spinning it so fast that it spun right out of his hands. Donnie didn't even look up as he caught the wood skillfully. But that's when he snapped, shoving his blowtorch goggles to his forehead.

"Look, I'm busy here!" He sighed and closed his eyes, taking a meditative breath. He jumped down to the Pulverizer. "If you must play with the staff, and apparently you must, try this." He started twirling the bō in his hands, showing Pulverizer how it's done. "You see what I'm doing? Slowly. Keep your hands near your center. Switch sides. Smooth. Fluid. All right?"

Pulverizer may or may not have been listening; he was too busy bouncing in place as he watched Donnie. When the turtle handed him the staff, he started copying his movements until he was twirling the staff just like Donnie. Perhaps not as fast, but effectively.

"Okay, not bad." Donnie admitted.

"Oh, yeah!" Pulverizer grinned.

"Maybe you're not that hopeless after all." Miwa said. Hardly a second later, Pulverizer hit himself on the head with the staff. "Spoke too soon." She jumped down to the floor, watching the boys.

"Ow." Pulverizer rubbed his head, but gave Donnie a thumbs-up. "I got it!"

Donnie glared as he advanced towards the Pulverizer. "What? You think you can just put a sword under your pillow and wake up a samurai? You gotta practice. It takes more than a cheesy costume to be a hero!"

"Pretty sweet, huh?" Pulverizer grinned. "Check out the muscles!"

"What?" Donnie asked. He stared at the Pulverizer strangely when the teen unzipped some of his costume to show the fake muscles underneath.

"Foam rubber." Pulverizer said. He zipped up the costume again and advanced towards Donnie excitedly, forcing the turtle to step back. "Pretty cool, huh? Way faster than working out. I wanna be a hero _now. _I don't have time for the basics. Show me the good stuff!"

"The 'good stuff' all comes from the basics." Miwa said wisely.

"Not now, doll face." Pulverizer waved her off, making Miwa's face burn with anger.

Donnie only sighed. "Okay." He took his staff back. "_One more._" He spun his staff, narrating every perfect move he performed; every move that took him weeks to learn and months to perfect. "Jab. Block. Step. Sweep. Twirl. Back flip. Strike!" The staff vibrated from the momentum, leaving Pulverizer staring in awe.

Miwa clapped for her brother. "Well done, Donatello."

"Okay, got it." Pulverizer said firmly, taking the bō staff. Donnie and Miwa simply stood back and watched. Pulverizer jutted the staff forward. "Jab!" What he didn't realize was that his thumb hit the button that released Donnie's naginata blade. The blade came inches from Pulverizer's head, startling him to the point that he fell over and dropped the staff.

"And that's why we start with the basics." Donnie sighed. He picked up his staff and leaned it against the Shellraiser before stepping over Pulverizer and jerking his head towards the lair. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Pulverizer asked.

"I'm going to show you the basics." Donnie said simply.

Miwa's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Sweet!" Pulverizer cheered as he followed Donnie back into the lair. Miwa darted past him to catch up to Donnie.

"Donnie, oh sweet and beautiful brother of mine," Miwa said in a faux sweet voice. "Can I speak to you alone?" She dragged Donnie away as Pulverizer began to taunt the punching dummy in a corner. "Donatello, what in the name of ninjutsu are you doing?"

"Miwa, he's going to get hurt if we just let him loose out there." Donnie protested.

"Why is that _our _problem?" Miwa demanded.

"Because we're the reason he decided to be a hero, even if we didn't mean to." Donnie explained. "He saw us and thought he could do the same thing we could do. I'm not going to train him much; I just want to teach him some self-defense moves so that the Pulverizer doesn't get pulverized."

Miwa hung his head. "Fine. Go ahead. But I'm not helping. I know for a fact that Pulverizer is not worthy of learning the ancient battle art of ninjutsu."

"What makes you say that?" Donnie demanded.

"Just a feeling I get." Miwa huffed, turning on her heel and walking off to the dojo to train. She fiercely went through her katas, her strikes constantly falling lethal to her invisible opponents. She unsheathed and sheathed her claws over and over again. She kicked invisible opponents into walls; punched invisible jaws; slit invisible throats. She didn't know what made her angrier: the fact that Pulverizer hit on her or the fact that Donnie actually thought he could _train _him. What right did that loser have to study an art he had no respect for?

Miwa paused in her katas. "What on earth….?"

"Is there something wrong, nezumi-chan?"

Miwa turned as Splinter came up behind her. She sighed. "Sensei, are there some people who can't learn ninjutsu?"

"I suppose if they possessed some disability that prevented them from doing so, yes." Splinter nodded. "However, I have yet to meet someone that could not practice ninjutsu. I once met a blind man who was a master."

"Okay." Miwa nodded. "Well, are there people who _shouldn't _practice ninjutsu?"

Splinter's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Miwa sighed. "Well, the guys and I met some idiot while we were out. He has no respect for the art of ninjutsu yet he parades around like he's the greatest master of it in the world."

"And this bothers you?" Splinter asked as he walked back into his room and sat down.

"Yes, it does!" Miwa trailed after her father and joined him on the floor. "I mean, the boys, you, and I have devoted our lives to this art. We understand it and we respect it. But this guy is pathetic and he couldn't do ninjutsu to save his life! Why on earth should he even remotely _think about _studying it?"

Splinter nodded, but said nothing, allowing Miwa to continue. She sighed.

"I don't know why this is making me so angry. I guess it comes from being raised by the Shredder for so long. I just don't understand how someone can be so ignorant and disrespectful. I love ninjutsu. My family has devoted their lives to it for years. I want to continue that tradition. Maybe I'm being selfish; but…"

"Miwa, I understand." Splinter assured. "I know many people who do not need to know martial arts for various reasons. Criminals do not have any reason to do so. Yet they practice anyway. Such as the Purple Dragons or the Foot Clan. However, you must also take into consideration the intentions of the fighter. If this person you and the boys met meant well, then perhaps they are not all bad."

Miwa smiled softly. "I guess. My main concern is that he's going to get himself hurt. He's that much of an idiot for taking on the Purple Dragons alone."

"What sort of boy was this?" Splinter asked.

"Kinda tall, little overweight." Miwa shrugged. "Wearing the most ridiculous—"

"You're heading for—"

"Whoa!" Miwa yelped as Pulverizer suddenly somersaulted into the room and crashed into her. The two of them then proceeded to crash into a wall. "Get off!" She shoved Pulverizer off her and looked up at her confused father. "Otōsan, meet the moron."

Splinter looked back and forth between the Pulverizer and Miwa. Then he narrowed his eyes and effortlessly picked up Pulverizer by the back of his costume. "Donatello!" Splinter called, walking from his room with Pulverizer still in his hand and Miwa right beside him. "Does this belong to you?"

"Sensei, Pulverizer." Donnie introduced tiredly. "Pulverizer, Sensei."

"Please to meet you." Pulverizer said to Splinter. He looked towards Donnie. "Hey, does he know he's a rat?"

Splinter dropped Pulverizer to the floor. "He knows." The humanoid rat assured.

"I'm sorry, Sensei." Donnie sighed. "We found him on the street trying to fight the Purple Dragons and he _accidently _wound up back in the lair! So…I thought I'd teach him a few basics—"

Pulverizer suddenly stood up excitedly. "Yeah! And he's doing a great job! Check this out!" He started making strange noises while performing his "moves", though they consisted only of ridiculous motions that further proved Miwa's point she was making to Splinter.

"I see what you mean now." Splinter whispered to Miwa.

"Told you so." Miwa shrugged.

"Apparently, Donatello, you have not taught him shame." Splinter said. "May I speak with you for a moment?"

"Hai, Sensei." Donnie said. "Miwa, will you watch Pulverizer?"

Miwa sighed. "Fine." She yanked the teen backwards. "Come on, we're going to spar."

While Miwa taught Pulverizer how to start out in a sparring match, Splinter and Donnie walked some feet away to talk. "Donatello, he has no business learning our art. He is…" He and Donnie looked back at Pulverizer, who waved dumbly. "…a doofus."

"Focus, nimrod!" Miwa snapped, her words bringing Pulverizer back to the fight.

"Hai, Sensei." Donnie groaned. "But he's gonna put himself at risk no matter what I do. So I just want to teach him enough so he doesn't get creamed."

Splinter thought for a brief moment. While he clearly understood where Miwa was coming from with "he shouldn't be allowed to learn", he knew Donatello's intentions were good and sincere. "You may." Splinter said reluctantly. "But, if you train him, _you _are responsible for whatever happens."

_SHING!_

Donnie and Splinter turned to see Pulverizer had gotten the naginata stuck in the wall. He pulled on it hard until it flew out, sending him flying backwards and crashing into Miwa.

"Good luck." Splinter said in a tone that clearly said, 'I do not envy you.'

"Sorry about that." Pulverizer told Miwa.

"I'm fine." Miwa growled.

"Aw, come on." Pulverizer scoffed. "Let me help you."

"Get your stinkin' paws off me." Miwa snapped, trying to pry Pulverizer's hand off her wrist.

"Would you just chill?" Pulverizer huffed. "You can't say you don't find me at least a _little _attractive?"

Miwa stared at Pulverizer. "I can say, without a doubt, that you are the most disgusting, idiotic moron I have ever met."

Pulverizer laughed. "Aw, you're cute. I just love how serious you act when—AAHH!" He yelped when Splinter suddenly grabbed his hand and twisted it painfully.

The rat glared at Pulverizer with his red-brown eyes. "Touch the girl: I break your hand. Got it?"

Pulverizer gulped and nodded feverishly. "Yes sir."

Splinter dropped Pulverizer and walked off to his room, leaving the two humans and turtle alone in the dojo. Miwa smirked. _Father, I owe you big time._

"Come on, I'll teach you how to take an opponent to the ground." Donnie offered Pulverizer.

"Sweet!" Pulverizer cheered.

Miwa rolled her eyes. "You've got to be kidding me."

Donnie just sighed. "All right, you stand here." He led Pulverizer to a spot in the dojo and stood some feet away from him. "Now, run towards me and slid towards my legs with your legs leading." Pulverizer nodded and obeyed, but ended up scooting the extra few feet to get his legs in place. "Put your left leg up here…..right leg down here…..twist your hips…and, down I go." Pulverizer tried, but Donnie didn't move. "And down I go." Again, he tried but failed. "And, down I go!" Pulverizer strained from the effort, but Donnie remained standing.

"Face it, Donnie." Miwa sighed. "No matter how many times you say 'Down I go' you're not going to go—" Donnie yelped as he finally fell face first into the ground. Miwa winced. "—down."

"Yes!" Pulverizer cheered. "I did it!" He and Donnie stood up and Pulverizer started bouncing on the balls of his feet again. "When do I get my black belt?"

Donnie gave him a deadpan look for a moment while his T-phone rang. He answered it, obviously relieved that he would get a break from his "teaching". "Donatello."

"_Donnie!" _Mikey's voice shouted from the other end, rattling Donnie's eardrums. _"We need help! Raph's been bitten by a giant, poisonous, robotic fish!"_

"That's not possible." Donnie insisted. "If he was bitten it's venom, not poison!"

"_Interesting, interesting." _Mikey mused, then shouted again. _"GET OVER HERE!"_

Miwa grabbed the phone and spoke quickly into it. "Mikey, calm down! Stay with Raph and we'll be there soon!" She looked up at Donnie. "Let's go!"

"Right." Donnie nodded as he and Miwa hurried back to the Shellraiser, Pulverizer close behind. "We'll need to mixt the antidote for Raph on the way there." He gathered some materials and packed them away into a red toolbox labeled "Donnie's Box" and "Mikey, Do Not Touch!"

"Donnie, hurry!" Miwa urged, leaping into the Shellraiser.

Donnie turned to Pulverizer. "Hey, do you know how to drive?"

"You kidding?" Pulverizer scoffed. "I've been driving an ice cream truck all summer." He hopped into the Shellraiser and into the driver's seat while Miwa and Donnie sat on the floor, organizing things for Raph's antidote. Donnie gave quick instructions to how to drive the Shellraiser, and Pulverizer wasted no time in flooring it. He slowed down, however, when they reached the streets of New York.

"Why are you slowing down?" Miwa demanded.

"Well, I…..uh….." Pulverizer looked a little uneasy.

"We gotta get to Raph!" Donnie urged. "So get moving!"

Pulverizer still looked nervous, but floored it. Miwa and Donnie were thrown to the ground as the car sped down the road.

"Watch out!" Donnie called. But Pulverizer continued unsteadily down the road, crashing into and running over various objects along the way. "I thought you said you knew how to drive!" Donnie called, holding onto a nearby seat.

"I usually don't go over eight miles an hour." Pulverizer protested.

"Just try to hold it steady, okay?" Donnie ordered. "I gotta mix this antidote for Raph."

"I'm curious as to why _I'm _not driving." Miwa snapped.

"Because I need your help and I trust you with these chemicals more than I trust him." Donnie replied simply, pulling out his T-phone and speed dialing Mikey.

"Touché." Miwa nodded, holding the T-phone in one hand for her and Donnie to listen to.

"What are his symptoms?" Donnie asked Mikey as he rummaged through his box.

"_He keeps telling me I'm the smartest guy he knows."_ Mikey reported.

"Okay." Donnie nodded. "Okay, he's delusional." He mixed a few things into a flask, jerking slightly from the bumpy ride. "How's his color?"

"_Green, man."_ Mikey said_. "And I mean _way_ more than usual!"_

"Use this." Miwa said, handing Donnie a beaker of purple liquid. The two of them jumped as the car lurched again. The car jerked and swerved, tossing the two of them all around the floor. It was a wonder Donnie didn't spill the antidote all over the place. "Can't you keep this thing under control?" Miwa snapped at Pulverizer.

"Sorry!" Pulverizer said sincerely, still jerking the car from one side to another.

Miwa groaned and helped Donnie sit up. "Keep going. What else?"

Donnie suddenly lurched backwards and hit his head on the metal, but he shook it off. "Does he have any nausea?"

"_Nah, he doesn't have any—" _Mikey groaned on the other end. _"Oh, check that! What the? I knew you ate my pizza! You liar!"_

"Focus, Mikey!" Miwa called into the phone. "How's the robotic fish?"

"_Leo's taking care of that." _Mikey suddenly gulped. _"Or not. Donnie, get here now!"_

"We'll be there any second now!" Miwa promised. "Just hold on!" She turned to Donnie. "How much longer?"

"Almost there." Donnie assured, holding onto the back of the driver's seat. Miwa pushed herself to her feet to join him. But, as they stared at the monitors, they noticed construction work right in front of where they needed to go.

"The road's blocked!" Pulverizer realized. "We gotta go around!"

"No time to go around!" Donnie snapped. "You gotta jump it!"

"What?" Pulverizer asked disbelievingly.

"You want to be a hero?" Donnie challenged. "Jump it!"

"Do it!" Miwa chimed in.

"Yeah….." Pulverizer's voice wavered. "About that hero thing…."

Donnie grabbed the wheel. "Jump it!" The car zoomed past the men and soared off the makeshift ramp and into the air. It crashed through the wall to where Leo, Raph, and Mikey were fighting a large, red fish with robotic legs. But the fish in itself was familiar to Miwa.

"Xever." She growled, jumping to the weapons' controls. When Xever/Fishface roared at the car, she simply powered up one of the cannons. "Fire in the hole!" Miwa called, hitting the button. The cannon on top of the Shellraiser turned and fired a ball of various sewage items straight towards the fish, knocking him backwards and to the ground. Donnie, Miwa, and Pulverizer hurried from the Shellraiser, right to Raph's side. Miwa's eyebrows furrowed in concern at the sight of her disabled brother, his glazed over gaze indicating he was worse off than Mikey led on.

"Raph, you still with us, buddy?" Donnie asked worriedly.

"Donnie?" Raph asked, glancing up at his brother.

"Yeah, Raph?"

"Why are there fingers on my feet?"

Donnie didn't answer for a moment, obviously confused by his brother's deranged comment. "Hang in there, buddy. You'll be okay." He took out the syringe and needle and inserted it into his arm, pumping the antidote into his system.

Raph gasped alittle from the jolt of pain, but soon enough began looking like his old self. He smiled goofily at Donnie. "Thanks…magical unicorn…"

Miwa was too relieved that her brother was all right to be concerned about his delirium. She pulled the red-masked turtle into a hug. "Don't scare us like that, Raph! You almost gave us a heart attack!"

"That was awesome!" Pulverizer cheered as Donnie helped Raph to his feet. "We saved him!"

"'We' saved him?!" Donnie snapped. "You wanted to stop and sell ice cream! If I hadn't jumped and smashed through that wall—"

"Uh, Donnie?" Mikey squeaked a little. "Is the Shellraiser supposed to do that?" Everyone glanced at the car and noticed the pink-purple surges of electricity. They ran to the car and jumped inside, heading straight for the power cell. Donnie knelt down beside it, staring in fear.

"It's cracked." Donnie breathed. "This is bad. The Kraang can detect that energy signature. We gotta get back underground before they come looking for the power cell!"

"Then let's move!" Miwa urged. "Come on!" The boys jumped into their seats and Miwa shoved Pulverizer to the floor and ordered him to stay there. Leo floored it, speeding back onto the road as fast as he could without losing control. However, they hardly made it three blocks down the road before two white vans screeched around the corner and started speeding right towards them. Three more vans appeared behind them, followed by a helicopter over their heads.

"Well _this _night keeps getting better!" Miwa snapped sarcastically. Pulverizer jumped up and held onto the back of the driver's seat in fear, but Leo only glared and shifted the throttle, going faster down the road. The two vans in front of them were forced to turn to avoid crashing, but the Kraang inside immediately turned the cars around to follow the Shellraiser. Then, blasts were heard, and the sound of something hitting the Shellraiser rang out.

Raph glared at his monitor to see one of the Kraang leaning out their car window and shooting at the Shellraiser, obviously not aware of the car's true strength. "Hold her steady, Leo." Raph said, shifting a few gears in his section. "I'll take care of these jokers." His seat suddenly moved forward and the back of the Shellraiser opened up, revealing a strange-looking gun with graffiti designs that gave it eyes and sharp teeth. Raph looked through the targeting system and aimed for the closest van. He pressed a button, and manhole covers suddenly shot from the mouth of the gun, slamming into the vans and knocking them off course.

"We have to lose them!" Miwa urged as she stood. "I'll go out and distract them."

"How do you plan to do that?" Donnie demanded.

"I'll slice their tires." Miwa said, holding up a fist to show her gauntlets. "And I'll decapitate a few Kraang for good measure."

"That won't be necessary." Leo assured. Suddenly, two, loud thuds echoed directly above their heads. Leo checked one of his monitors and saw two Kraang droids…..on the roof! "Scratch that. Guys! The Kraang are on the roof!"

Mikey, Donnie, and Miwa immediately leaped up to the roof, brandishing their respective weapons threateningly. But their eyes widened and they gasped when they realized these two Kraang had one major difference: they had wings. And about five more just like them flew above their heads.

"Leo! They can fly!" Mikey shouted as one came flying right at him. "They can ffffffllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" He grunted in pain as the Kraang slammed into him.

"Mikey!" Miwa shouted. But she and Donnie became distracted by the Kraang on the roof shooting at them. Mikey managed to land somewhat softly and kick the Kraang droid off him, at the cost of him almost falling off the roof. He pulled himself up, jumping a little when a Kraang landed dangerously close to him. Donnie, his eyes now pure white, skillfully dodged the Kraang's shots and whacked one droid off the roof. He knocked the gun out of the second droid's hands and jabbed the robot in the chest, knocking him off as well. Miwa drew some kunai from her belt and flung them at the Kraang in the sky, hitting a few in the right places and causing them to fall and crash.

"Wow!" Pulverizer said as he smiled at the monitors. "Nobody told me they were _robot _aliens!"

"Why _would _we tell you?" Leo scoffed, flipping a few switches and turning on the metal clamps in front of the Shellraiser. He drove straight through the three Kraang shooting at them, running them over and catching some of their parts in the clamps. But more Kraang kept coming, shooting relentlessly at the Shellraiser.

"Watch out!" Miwa shouted, pointing ahead as yet another white van barreled towards them. Leo, thinking fast, had no other option but to turn sharply and send the Shellraiser straight towards a wall. Unable to turn in time, the four turtles and two humans could only brace themselves as the Shellraiser crashed _hard _into the cement. Mikey, Donnie, and Miwa fell to the floor, hanging onto the roof tightly. The Kraang approached the Shellraiser, but Leo suddenly leaped out and landed stabbing a Kraang with his katanas. His brothers and sister followed his lead, attacking the Kraang with all their strength and skill. Mikey slashed his kusarigama blade and whacked Kraang heads with his nunchakus. Raph stabbed droid after droid with his sai blades. Donnie slammed his staff onto the robot's heads, skillfully dodging their blasts. Leo's katanas sliced through the metal droids like a nice through butter. Miwa stabbed her gauntlet claws right through the droids and watched with a haughty smirk as the aliens scurried away from here in terror.

Leo sliced through a couple Kraang when he noticed one of the droids running off with a glowing pink shard in their arms. "He's got the cell!" He realized.

"Don't let him get away!" Miwa darted for the robot, but about three more blocked her path.

"I'll stop him!" Pulverizer announced as he ran after the droid.

Donnie struggled under the force of the Kraang pushing his gun against his staff, but he noticed Pulverizer running after the droids as they approached the helicopter. "Pulverizer! No!"

"I can do this!" Pulverizer insisted.

"You really can't!" Donnie corrected.

"Don't try and be a hero, kid!" Miwa added.

Pulverize didn't listen. He ran up behind the droids and slid across the ground, getting his legs into position to take the robot to the ground, just like Donnie showed him. He squeezed his legs and…..the droid still stood. In fact, the Kraang grabbed Pulverizer, swung him around, and threw the teenager into the doors of the apothecary nearby. Two more droids approached the Pulverizer while the Kraang with the power cell boarded the helicopter.

Donnie looked up and his eyes widened. "Hey!" He finally managed to knock his opponent aside and ran towards the helicopter. "That's _my _power source, Slime Bot!"

"Donnie!" Pulverizer cried out. Donnie stared back and forth between the struggling teenager and the helicopter, about to take off with the power cell still in the Kraang's grasp.

"The power cell….." Donnie groaned. He looked back at the helicopter one more time, but he knew in his gut what he had to do. "Aw, crud!" He threw his bo like a javelin, knocking the gun from one of the Kraang's hands. He leaped towards the Kraang and bounced off the first, grabbing his staff and forcefully knocking it to the ground. The second Kraang pushed Pulverizer away and advcanced towards Donnie, only to meet the same fate.

Meanwhile, Miwa noticed the helicopter about to take off and darted towards it. "Donnie! Vault!"

Donnie nodded in understanding and laced his fingers together. Miwa leaped towards him and put her foot in his cupped hands, allowing him to throw her into the air and straight for the helicopter. Miwa reached for the landing gear, but her fingers just brushed the metal. But she saved herself when she unsheathed her gauntlet claws and they stuck into the metal poles, allowing her to grab on and hold on tight. She pulled herself up as the Kraang inside opened the door and aimed his gun for her. She swung out of the way, narrowly avoiding the blasts.

Down on the ground, Leo, Raph, and Mikey finished off the remaining Kraang (the ones that didn't run away) and joined Donnie as he helped Pulverizer to his feet. "Where's Miwa?" Mikey asked hurriedly.

"Where do you think?" Donnie gestured to the helicopter, circling a little out of control above their heads. Miwa still clung to the landing gear, dodging blasts.

"Grab the power cell!" Leo shouted.

"Really?" Miwa shouted back sarcastically. "'Cause that _wasn't _the reason I decided to climb on this cockamamie thing!"

"Cockamamie?" Mikey cocked his head.

Miwa yelped when a blast whizzed past her ear. "Shimatta!" She growled. She flipped up and aimed her foot for the Kraang's face, knocking him backwards to the floor. The helicopter jerked and swerved as it continued to lurch around in the sky. She kicked two more Kraang in the face and noticed the power cell on the ground. She scooped it up, but another Kraang grabbed it as well. "Let go!" Miwa ordered.

"Kraang demands that _you _let go of the thing known as the power cell that Kraang demands you let go of!" the droid snapped.

Miwa rolled her eyes. "Idiots." She aimed a punch for the Kraang's robot face, but the helicopter lurched again and Miwa stumbled backwards. Her fingers slipped from the power cell's container and she suddenly tumbled out into the open air. She screamed, realizing that she was plummeting straight for the ground. She tried to turn and land properly, but found she didn't need to; Mikey leaped into the air, grabbed the girl, flipped, and landed softly on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Mikey asked worriedly.

Miwa sighed as Mikey set her down on her feet. "I'm fine. Thanks, Mikey."

"Well, you know…" Mikey chuckled a little nervously. "It's what I do."

Miwa smiled and quickly kissed him on the cheek before joining her brothers. Mikey looked ready to faint, almost floating as he followed Miwa. The four turtles, Miwa, and Pulverizer watched as the helicopter flew off with the power cell in it, destroying any chance of the ninjas stopping the Kraang.

"Aw man." Pulverizer groaned. "Looks like I mucked everything up, didn't I?"

"Hey, bro, it's not your fault." Mikey consoled.

"Um, actually Mikey, it is." Leo corrected.

"Oh yeah." Mikey said.

"Not completely." Donnie admitted. "I'm the one who sent the Shellraiser through the wall and that's what cracked the power cell."

"You did what you had to do." Miwa assured. "Desperate times called for desperate measures."

"Uh…..so…" Pulverizer piped up. "Think we could pick up our training again sometime?"

Donnie walked up to the Pulverizer and put a hand on the teen's shoulder. "No."

Pulverizer looked disappointed, but he seemed to shake it off. "Fine. But I'll be practicing! And I'll be back! And wherever crime may roam, wherever help is—"

"Bye!" The Turtles and Miwa said forcefully. Pulverizer luckily took the hint and walked off, a little slumped over.

"I've got to figure out how we're getting that power cell back!" Donnie said once the Pulverizer was gone.

Leo looked back at the Shellraiser, still crashed into the wall. "Which raises the question: how are we going to get the Shellraiser home?"

"It's not like we have any gas or a giant battery." Miwa noted. "What are we supposed to do? Push it all the way home?"

* * *

"I didn't mean that literally!" Miwa groaned as she helped Leo, Mikey, and Raph push the Shellraiser across the subway tracks. But no matter how hard they struggled and groaned and pushed, the giant car only move a few feet at a time.

"Are you sure the parking break isn't on?" Raph shouted at Donnie in the driver's seat.

"For the hundredth time: yes!" Donnie's voice called from inside. "Oh wait. Sorry guys!" He poked his head out the door. "Uh…..try it now."

His brothers groaned his name, almost cursing him as they continued to push. But Donnie just slipped back inside to steer.

Leo glanced at Miwa, grunting as she continued to push against the metal. "You can go sit with Donnie if you want." He offered.

"Nope, I'm good." Miwa assured.

"Well, the offer still stands." Raph pointed out. "You can always send Donnie out here to push while you steer."

"I think I got more manpower…..er, _turtle _power, than he does." Miwa said with a smile.

"Sorry your first big adventure with us wasn't very fun." Mikey said sincerely. "This was the first time you went to bust bad guys with us and it ends like this!"

"Are you kidding?" Miwa's smiled widened. "This is the most fun I've had in years!"

"Really?" Mikey asked with a smile.

"Oh yeah." Miwa nodded. "And I know that there are only more adventures to come!"

* * *

**A/N: What do you think? Okay? I hope it's still capturing everyone's personalities while properly inputting Miwa in the episodes. How does it look? I'll still do plenty more of these, but some episodes will feature only Miwa and not very much Turtle, depending on the episode. Keep a lookout for newest episodes! I'll write new chapters as soon as new episodes show up!**

**Also, I'm working on a side story. You know, something to work on while waiting for new episodes. This will feature Miwa as a main character, but won't have much of anything to do with this story here. More info to come!**

**Shimatta- "Damn it!" (I know, a little language involved, but I promise Miwa doesn't do it very often)**


	2. Important Auther's Note

Okay, this is an author's note instead of an actual chapter. I have a slight problem. I just watched the newest TMNT episode, "Baxter's Gambit", and I don't think I can incorporate Miwa into that episode. There are just too many references that hint Miwa is dead or something. So I don't think I can continue putting Miwa in the TMNT episodes.

But, rather than end this story here, I think I might just write a series of one-shots that continue the story after "Mysterious as the Dark Side of the Moon". Maybe I'll put Miwa in a few episodes just as a whole, "What would happen if Miwa was in this episode?" kind of thing.

What do you guys think? Should I keep trying to put Miwa in _all_ the TMNT episodes or just put her in a few that makes sense and then write one-shots? Let me know please! Your input could decide the fate of this story!

I am still working on the other side story. In fact, I'll post the first few chapters this weekend. That story should make a little more sense. It could actually be considered a sequel to "Mysterious as the Dark Side of the Moon".

Again, I need your input guys! I need to know if it would be worth it to continue this story/series of one-shots.


	3. TCRI

**Okay, so after much internal debate and carefully looking over your reviews, I've decided to kind of meet halfway between the choices: I'm going to attempt to put Miwa in every new episode and I will also create some of my own one-shots. So, if I try and put Miwa in an episode and it doesn't make sense, please pear with me. I'll make it up by creating a very nicely written one-shot.**

**Enjoy! I'll try and get "Cockroach Terminator" up soon!**

* * *

**TCRI**

She wished Donnie could fix the Shellraiser. Then she wouldn't be forced to hang onto the back of his seat for dear life while her brothers sped through the streets on their patrol buggy. She _really _wished she could've been around when Donnie built the thing so that she could also have a seat of her own. But she learned from an early age that adaptability was a valuable skill to have, especially if you were a ninja.

More importantly, if you were a ninja that lived in a family of turtles for brothers.

"Stay on 'em, Leo!" Donnie ordered. "My Kraang app's tripping out! It's picking up the signal from the power cell!"

"Again?" Leo asked. "Last time that thing led us to a burrito in a microwave."

"Left!" Donnie shouted. Leo made a sharp turn in said direction, almost throwing Miwa off the cart (again). "Left again! They're getting away!"

"They're in a helicopter, doofus!" Miwa shouted, her mask tails flying in the wind.

"Right!" Donnie shouted.

"Look out!" Raph called as a truck came barreling towards them.

"Left right left right!" Donnie shouted in terror. Leo and Raph suddenly pulled a lever on either side of them, causing the buggy split up into four separate cars. Now with more mobility, the guys managed to swerve out of the way of the cars and people in the roads before finally coming together again and continuing their speedy travel down the road.

Mikey whooped and laughed. "This is more fun than a shriners parade!"

"What are you saying?" Raph demanded, confused like his brothers.

"Right!" Donnie shouted. But when they took the turn, a dead end came to meet them. Leo slammed on the brakes and twisted the wheel, causing the buggy to spin uncontrollably. Everyone on board shouted in terror as the world spun and the buggy almost crashed. Miwa stabbed her claws into the metal car, anchoring her to it so she didn't fly off. Finally, the car stopped; but the helicopter carrying the Kraang and the power cell kept flying.

"We lost 'em." Donnie groaned. He jumped out of the car and ran to his T-phone, now lying useless on the ground. "And my phone's busted."

Miwa took a few calming breaths and sheathed her gauntlet claws. "With Leo's driving skills, let's be thankful that _we're _not the ones busted."

"It wasn't that bad." Mikey shrugged, jumping up on a dumpster and sitting on it.

"You try riding with no seat." Miwa reminded him. "But on a more important note: we just lost the Kraang and they still have the power cell and we have no idea where to find them now! They could be anywhere!"

Leo frowned in determination and frustration. "That's it. We're going to see Leatherhead."

"Uh…." Donnie gulped a little. "L-Leatherhead?"

"He's the one who took the power cell from the Kraang." Leo reminded him. "He's the one who might know where to find it."

"He's also the one who likes to grab my face and shake me like a rag doll!" Donnie whined.

Mikey laughed. "Good times."

"Zip it!" Donnie snapped.

"Oh come on, he's a pussy cat!" Mikey jumped down from the dumpster. "Who likes to grab your face and shake you like a rag doll!" He laughed again, only for Donnie's eyes to go pure white and glare at him fiercely. Mikey smiled albeit nervously. "Right…..let's move!"

"Does Leatherhead really grab you by the face and shake you like a rag doll?" Miwa asked.

Donnie's eyes shifted to show his normal, red/brown irises. "Yes, yes he does."

"Yeesh." Miwa sighed, climbing back onto Donnie's seat. "Well, Leo does have a point: Leatherhead is our only connection to the Kraang besides Dr. O'Neil."

"And Dr. O'Neil's still in hiding." Leo noted.

"Or captured." Raph muttered, climbing into his respective seat.

Leo paused in starting up the buggy. "What?"

"Think about it." Raph said. "Miwa saves him when she was Moon Shadow, he comes home all happy and safe at last; then, out of the blue, he disappears without a trace?"

"What are you saying, Raph?" Miwa asked.

"I'm saying I don't think Dr. O'Neil went into hiding." Raph said. "I think the Kraang kidnapped him again and April just didn't want to tell us."

Everyone exchanged worried looks. Leo started up the buggy and sped off down the street. "We can worry about that later. For now, let's work on finding Leatherhead."

"Where _is _he nowadays?" Miwa asked.

"Somewhere pretty secluded." Donnie reported. "Only a few hundred yards from our lair."

"We'd better hurry, then." Mikey urged. "Leatherhead told us that power cell thingy could open the portal to the Kraang's home. And even _I _know that's bad."

* * *

Miwa hung onto Mikey's shell all the way through the underwater tunnels leading to Leatherhead's home. It wasn't long before they arrived at a rectangular pool of water and softly burst through to the surface, gasping a little. The pool rested in a small room, only so much wider than the pool itself. Still, they managed to pull themselves to the stone edging and shake themselves dry.

"Who can hold their breath?" Mikey boasted. "We can!"

"We wouldn't have had to if you hadn't kept swimming off to pick up trash." Raph noted.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure." Mikey said, holding up the object he picked up.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's every man's trash." Raph droned.

"How'd the rebreather work, Miwa?" Donnie asked.

Miwa took the strange metal device from her mouth and tucked it into her belt. "Perfect, Donnie. Thanks."

"Just think of it as an early birthday present." Donnie said with a smile.

They all looked up at a soft snore and Leo pointed to a corner. "There he is." Sure enough, it was: Leatherhead, the mutant alligator that escaped from the Kraang's home dimension and stole the power cell. He curled in a ball in the corner, sleeping soundly and growling softly in his slumber.

"We don't want to alarm him." Leo reminded them. "So no one make any sudden moves."

"Aww." Mikey cooed. "Look how cute." He walked up to Leatherhead, only to jump back when Leatherhead roared in his sleep.

"Wh-who's gonna wake him up?" Donnie asked.

Everyone exchanged looks. "Not it!" Donnie, Leo, Raph, and Miwa jumped aside, leaving only Mikey.

"Yes! I win!" Mikey looked excited up until he realized that _he _had to wake Leatherhead up. Still, Leo pushed him closer to the gator and Miwa silently gave him encouragement. Mikey slowly approached the gator and poked him with his foot. "Leatherhead…wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey…"

Leatherhead's eyes snapped open and instantly were covered by the white membrane that only meant one thing: a rampage was soon to come. He stood on his hind legs, snarling in his throat. He towered over Mikey and let out a ferocious roar that sent the tails of Mikey's mask flying like a flag in the wind.

"Mikey….." Miwa warned.

"Can we make sudden moves now?" Donnie whimpered. Leatherhead suddenly ran past Mikey, reached out a clawed hand, and grabbed Donnie's head. He pulled the tall turtle off his feet and roared to the ceiling again. Donnie shouted in terror. "He's grabbing me by the face again!" Leatherhead roared and slammed his webbed hand down, missing Leo and Raph by inches. Miwa fell backwards into the pool.

"Leatherhead, don't!" Mikey called, only to be whacked back into the wall. He pushed himself to his feet and rubbed his stomach, where Leatherhead's tail hit him. "He must be having a nightmare!"

"That makes two of us!" Donnie whimpered.

Miwa pulled herself back onto solid ground and stomped her foot. "Leatherhead, put him down this instant!"

Leatherhead suddenly threw Donnie aside and the purple-masked turtle hit the wall. Miwa's eyes widened when the alligator suddenly lunged for her. She jumped up and landed on his head, running down the length of his spine and tail and landing behind him. "Leatherhead, no! Down!" Leatherhead turned and roared at her. "Bad gator!" Miwa yelped as she narrowly avoided Leatherhead's claws.

"He's not a dog, Miwa!" Raph snapped.

"You got a better idea?" Miwa snapped back.

Raph suddenly ducked when Leatherhead's tail nearly took off his head. He jumped up on the gator's back, hanging on tight. "He's _your _friend, Mikey! What do we do?"

"Rub his belly!" Mikey called. "He likes that!"

"What are you saying?" Raph called, only for Leatherhead to slam him into the wall and force him to slide off his back. He slammed his tail down and narrowly missed Leo. He swiped his claws and barely nicked Miwa's bangs. Leatherhead roared loudly, rattling everyone's eardrums.

"Leatherhead!" Mikey called. "Come on, dude, it's Michelangelo. Turn off the crazy eyes, buddy."

Leatherhead jumped up to the ceiling and crawled over to where Mikey stood, grabbing the small turtle in his large hand. He roared in Mikey's face and raised his sharp claws to strike down the young turtle, who could only cower in fear.

"Leatherhead!" Miwa shouted. "Stop!"

Leatherhead suddenly blinked, his eyes returning to their normal swampy green with the slit pupils. He held his head for a moment and looked up. "Michelangelo?" He looked around and noticed three more turtles and a human in black clothing. His gaze softened at the sight. "My friends…" He gently set Mikey on his feet and groaned. "Oh no…..I got angry again, didn't I?"

"Yes!" Donnie complained. "You did it again! Why do you keep grabbing my face what is wrong with my face?!"

"Would you like the list alphabetically or in descending order of grossness?" Raph asked, wringing out his wet mask tails.

"Raph, not now." Miwa sighed.

"I am sorry." Leatherhead said sincerely. "You _are _my friends; the only ones I can truly trust. That's why I gave _you _the power cell for safekeeping."

Miwa and the boys exchanged looks. _Oh, this ought to be good. _Miwa thought, crossing her arms. Donnie started stuttering a little, moving behind Leo.

"Um…" Leo chuckled nervously. "About that…."

"Funny story." Mikey chimed in. "_True_ story."

Leatherhead looked nervous as he stared at the terrapins and human. "But, before we tell it, why don't you sit down?" Donnie suggested. "And I, and my face, will take one _biiiiiiig _step backwards." He did so. "Okay, go ahead."

Leo laughed nervously. "Well…about the power cell…..we sort of lost it…."

Leatherhead's eyes went white, making Raph, Miwa, and Mikey step back.

"To the Kraang." Leo finished hurriedly before leaping to the safety of the water.

Leatherhead roared and suddenly grabbed Donnie's face again, slamming the turtle into the ground. As fast as it came, Leatherhead's rage left, and he took a breath. "No, Leatherhead. These are your friends."

Donnie made a terrified noise of agreement, muffled by Leatherhead's hand over his face.

Leatherhead sighed, rubbing Donnie's face in thought. "Obviously you did everything you could to protect it."

"Well, um….." Mikey piped up nervously. "To be honest, I would—"

Raph suddenly grabbed Mikey's face to stop him. "Yes. That's exactly what happened."

"Let's just say I almost cracked open my skull trying to get it back." Miwa noted, shuddering at the memory of her helicopter fight with the droids.

"At least you are safe." Leatherhead gently patted Miwa's head. "That is also important."

"Not more important than that power cell, though." Miwa sighed. "If the Kraang has it, then we're in for a whole lot more than our usual scuffle with some robots."

"Leatherhead, we need to get it back." Leo said.

"With the power cell, the Kraang can open the portal to Dimension X." Leatherhead told them. "And, when it opens….."

"They can use it to bring anything from their home here." Donnie finished.

"Things so horrible they terrify even me." Leatherhead said in a grave voice.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that's bad." Miwa said sarcastically.

"We need to keep that portal from opening." Leo said. "Can you tell us where it is?"

Leatherhead thought for a moment before he started carving something into the stone with his claws. "All I remember is this."

Donnie pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the symbol: a hexagon with another, smaller hexagon attached to each side in an almost flower shape. Everyone stared at the symbol, wondering what it could possibly mean.

* * *

"I know I've seen this symbol." Donnie said. "It's so familiar."

Everyone stared between the picture on Donnie's phone and the same symbol on Metalhead's head and the canister that once contained mutagen. It did look familiar, but none of them could figure out where.

"The Olympics!" Mikey guessed.

"No!" Donnie snapped.

"I got it!" Mikey said. "The Olympics!"

"Stop guessing!" Donnie ordered. "Obviously, it's a Kraang symbol!"

"But from where?" Leo asked.

"The Olympics!" Mikey cheered.

"Quit it!" Donnie shouted, making everyone jump back in fear. "There's something here and I can figure it out if you'll all just go away and let me think!"

Everyone slowly backed away and out of the shop, back into the living room. "He gets awfully tense easily, doesn't he?" Miwa noted.

"Only when he can't figure out the answer to something." Leo assured. "Donnie's the brains of the group; when he can't figure out a problem, it drives him crazy."

Miwa nodded in thought. "So, what do _you _guys think the symbol means?"

"We were hoping _you_ would know." Mikey said. "You spent more time topside, after all."

"Yeah, but I didn't come to New York until less than a year ago." Miwa reminded them. "I was in Japan for the rest of that time. But I _do _get the strangest feeling that I've seen that symbol before."

"Just give Don a second." Raph assured, stopping near the turnstiles. "He'll figure it out soon."

"Guys! Come on!" Donnie shouted, running past them. "I figured it out!"

"Told ya." Raph smirked as he and the others followed Donnie out of the lair and up to the surface. Donnie ran far ahead of his brothers and sister, forcing them to put on extra bursts of speed to try and keep up.

"Donnie!" Leo called as they leaped across the rooftops. "Hold on!"

"Just hurry up!" Donnie ordered.

"I hate when he's like this!" Raph groaned as they followed their brother through the city.

"Donatello! Slow down!" Miwa called. Finally, Donnie slowed his pace and stopped on an apartment rooftop, pulling out his T-phone and staring at the picture.

"I figured out where else I've seen this." Donnie said.

"Where?" Leo asked. Donnie looked up and everyone followed his gaze to the skyscraper a couple miles away. The same symbol Leatherhead drew was on the building, with the letters "TCRI" printed above it.

"TCRI?" Raph groaned. "_They're _behind the Kraang plot?"

"The invasion?" Leo asked.

"The Olympics?" Mikey asked, only to receive a whack on the head from Raph. "What was that?"

"A new Olympic event." Raph said sarcastically. Mikey deadpanned.

"They've been in plain sight the whole time." Donnie said. "We just never realized it."

"I must've passed by that building every day on my way home from school with April." Miwa said. "I never thought it would be a Kraang headquarters."

"I think it's pretty obvious what we have to do." Leo said. "We're going in and taking down that portal."

"But how?" Miwa asked. "That place could be filled to the brim with Kraang and Kraang droids. Even if we get past them, we still have to take down an advanced piece of technology. How are we supposed to do that?"

Donnie smirked. "I think I have a plan. At least, a partial one."

* * *

Miwa, Leo, April, and Splinter gathered around the island in the kitchen, staring at the blueprints April had downloaded for their planning. Donnie worked on a bomb for the portal, Mikey almost blew up the lair with said bomb, and Raph looked about as bored as he could get.

"I managed to download the blueprints for TCRI." April explained. "Now, the bottom two thirds are just a normal office building. And, from what I can tell, normal humans work there."

"Imagine if they knew who they were working for." Leo said. He started talking in his best Kraang impression. "The ones who are working for this place must punch the card that is known as the time card in the clock that is known as the clock of time." Miwa, April, and Splinter just stared at him. Miwa raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, where were we?"

"What about the upper floors?" Splinter asked April.

"Well, that's the thing." April explained. "The top third is completely blank."

"Whatever they built up there," Leo said, pointing to the area with a small knife. "They didn't want anyone to know about it." He slipped the knife into his wristband.

"Which means _that _is exactly where you have to go." Splinter said.

"Boom!" Raph shouted, startling Donnie and Mikey as they worked on the bomb. He started laughing.

"Watch it, fool!" Mikey snapped as he and Donnie glared at their brother.

Miwa rolled her eyes. "I've been inside the building before and rode the elevator while I was inside. The building's about forty stories high, with only a stairway for an emergency exit and no fire escape. We'd have to start from the bottom and work our way up."

"First, we need to figure out how to get past security and the lobby." Leo said.

"Tricky." April admitted. "It's not like we can just pack you in a box and send it special delivery."

Leo looked up and smiled craftily, earning a look from Splinter and April. "Why does that look make me nervous?" Miwa groaned.

* * *

"Get your foot out of my stomach!"

"I will when Leatherhead gets his tail out of my shell!"

"My apologies."

"Leo, your knee is touching my butt."

"Your butt is in your shell, doofus."

"It's still wrong!"

"Would you guys shut up? We're approaching the building."

April's voice sounded from outside the box. "Special delivery!" Everyone inside felt the cart being pushed forward and hit the walls of what they assumed was the elevator. April whispered after them, "Good luck, guys!"

"You ready for this?" Mikey asked in the darkness.

"Ready when you guys are." Miwa nodded (though no one could really see it).

"All right, when the doors open and I give the signal," Leo instructed. "Leatherhead, you unleash that crocodile chaos you have a knack for."

"With pleasure." Leatherhead growled.

"Ready…." Leo peered through the hole in the box. "Now!"

Leatherhead roared as he burst from the box and began attacking the Kraang droids, grabbing them, smashing them, and occasionally biting their heads off. The Kraang tried to shoot him down, but their shots constantly missed him. The Turtles climbed from the box and through the emergency hatch to the top of the elevator.

"I kinda feel bad leaving Leatherhead down there." Mikey said.

Leo and Raph smirked at the roars and apparent chaos happening in the lobby. "I think he'll be fine." Leo assured. "Besides, he's got Miwa down there with him."

"Booyakasha Kraang suckers!" Miwa laughed as she sliced through droid after droid, dodging blasts that whizzed past her. She and Leatherhead worked together, taking down every droid on the lobby level floor. Suddenly, and alarm went off and the Kraang ran off for the elevator. Miwa and Leatherhead darted after them, but the doors closed before they could catch the remaining droids.

"I don't get it." Miwa panted a little. "Why are they setting off the alarm now and then leaving us behind?"

"They must have discovered your brothers." Leatherhead growled.

"We should get up there then." Miwa urged. "Can you pull the doors open?" Leatherhead nodded and grabbed the elevator doors. He pulled them clear off with ease and tossed them aside, making Miwa jump. "Well, I guess that works."

"Climb onto my back." Leatherhead instructed, kneeling down and allowing Miwa to cling to his spines. He jumped into the elevator shaft and used his claws to cling to the small ledges inside, steadily making his way up the shaft towards the top.

"Long way up." Miwa breathed, staring up the seemingly endless shaft.

"We'll be to the top soon." Leatherhead assured.

"I can only hope the guys haven't gotten into too much trouble by now." Miwa smirked. "You know how boys are." Leatherhead gave her a look. "On second thought, maybe you don't."

"Probably not." Leatherhead admitted. "The only boy I knew was the human boy that raised me before I ended up with the Kraang."

"Oh yeah, the guys told me you were once a normal alligator." Miwa nodded. "It's a shame the guys didn't find you when you were flushed down into the sewers; they would've given you a very nice home."

"True." Leatherhead nodded. "But then I would not have become the creature you see today; and we would not have known about the Kraang invasion until too late."

"I guess you got a point there." Miwa nodded. They both became silent for a while. "Leatherhead, what will you do when this is over? After we've defeated the Kraang and stopped them from invading the Earth."

"I will return to the sewers, where I belong." Leatherhead said. "Far away from those I care about."

"If you care about them so much, why do you want to go far away from them?"

"Because I put them in danger. My anger causes me to go out of control; you have seen this yourself. How can a monster like me stay near them?"

"But you're our friend." Miwa protested. "I'm sure we could give you a much better home. And it'll get lonely in the sewers with no one else around."

"I am a monster, Miwa." Leatherhead sighed. "I cannot stay."

"You're not a monster just because you're different." Miwa said firmly. "I should know; I've been in your situation before."

"How?" Leatherhead asked.

"Well, it was back when I lived in Japan." Miwa explained. "I wasn't like the other girls. When they played with dolls, I played with swords; they put their hair up all pretty like and I just pulled it up to keep it out of my face when I trained or fought; while they learned to be ladies or doctors or good housewives, I learned to be a ninja, a natural-born fighter. They stared at me strangely because I did not act like them. I lived with a highly regarded and wealthy man at the time, so I was right up there with the high-class Japanese girls in the pretty dresses. No matter how much I tried to look like them, I could never _act _like them." She rubbed Leatherhead's spine with her thumb. "Sometimes I wish I were a monster so they could just let out their feelings about me."

Leatherhead paused in his climb. He reached behind him and gently took Miwa in his hand. He held her by her waist and up to his eye level. "Miwa, you cannot say such things. It is not easy to be a monster like me."

"You mean constantly temperamental?" Miwa guessed. "Always losing control when you get angry? Regretting your actions because they somehow always cause others pain?"

Leatherhead smirked. "You can't always s be like that."

"And neither are you." Miwa assured. "I may not have known you for very long, but I know you are kind as you are strong."

Leatherhead sighed and smiled. "Thank you, Hamato Miwa."

Miwa smiled broadly. "How about this: once we're done dealing with the Kraang, we'll all go out for a picnic or something. You, me, the boys, even Splinter and April. We'll get to know each other better."

Leatherhead nodded. "I remember the boy I lived with who took me to the park sometimes. To return again would be quite peaceful. Of course, we must go at night."

"For obvious reasons." Miwa and Leatherhead laughed. "You know what, Leatherhead? You're a great friend." A sound suddenly made her look up and her eyes widened. "Uh, Leatherhead?"

"Yes?" Leatherhead asked.

"We gotta move!" Miwa urged. Leatherhead looked up and noticed the elevator car coming right towards them. He held Miwa close to his chest and suddenly kicked open the doors to the floor right below him. He swung inside just as the elevator whooshed past him.

"Are you all right?" Leatherhead asked, unfolding his arms to look down at Miwa.

"I'm fine." Miwa nodded as she slid to the ground.

"Stop!"

Miwa and Leatherhead turned to see a number of Kraang droids, all of them aiming their weapons for the human and alligator. The two of them exchanged a look and smirked.

The two of them lunged, and chaos ensued. Leatherhead crushed and completely destroyed any robot that came within ten feet of him or (more importantly) Miwa. In turn, Miwa took every opportunity she had to slice the droids to bits. She was actually a little surprised by how easy it was to take them down. Suddenly, one of the droids caught her off-guard, and she felt white-hot pain erupting in her arm. She let out a small scream and clutched her bicep, where a Kraang blast left a severe burn. Leatherhead turned when he heard Miwa's scream and his eyes widened at the sight of Miwa not only hurt but then being thrown into a wall. The Kraang surrounded her, but Leatherhead suddenly roared so loud the Kraang's eardrums rattled inside their robot suits. The large alligator charged for the droids. Miwa jumped aside and hid under an office desk, covering her head with her arms as Leatherhead's rampage continued all around her. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the chaos to stop.

Finally, there was silence.

"Miwa?" Leatherhead's voice called out softly. Miwa opened her eyes to see Leatherhead poking his snout into her little hiding spot. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Miwa said with a smile. "Thanks to you."

Leatherhead smiled and stepped back to allow Miwa to crawl from under the desk. She sat down and inspected the burn on her arm, wincing with a hiss when she saw how bad it looked: bright red and purplish-black, mixed with a little blood.

"You are hurt." Leatherhead noted, looking sad. "I should have protected you."

"Leatherhead, it's okay." Miwa assured. "I'll be fine." She took a kunai from her belt and sliced off some of her pant's cuff. She tried to tie it to her arm, but she had a hard time doing it with just one hand. Carefully, Leatherhead took the fabric from Miwa and tied it gently but tightly around her wound. Miwa smiled at Leatherhead. "Thanks, Leatherhead."

"Of course, my friend." Leatherhead nodded.

"We should hurry." Miwa urged. "I bet the guys are on the top floor by now, and I don't want to miss any action."

Leatherhead nodded and joined Miwa on their way to the elevator. Miwa pressed the Up button and the two waited patiently. "I would like you to know something very important."

"What's that, Leatherhead?"

The gator smiled softly, his bright green eyes locking with Miwa's dark brown ones. "I am very happy to call you my friend."

Miwa smiled and hugged the gator's stomach. "_I_ am very happy to call you family."

_Ding ding._

The elevator doors opened, revealing another Kraang droid. Before it could process anything, Leatherhead and Miwa lunged. Miwa pressed the button for the fortieth floor before helping Leatherhead pound the droid to pieces. Seconds later, the doors opened again, and Leatherhead threw what was left of the droid out into the open. He and Miwa emerged from the shadows into a large room, where a large machine that could only be the dimensional portal creator.

"Leatherhead!" Mikey exclaimed with a smile. "Miwa!"

Miwa smirked at her brothers. "Did we miss much of the fun?" Then, she noticed the large, rock/lava monster standing mere feet away from her brothers, and her eyes widened. "I'll take that as a no."

"Traang!" Leatherhead roared, causing the rock monster to turn to him. Leatherhead roared and threw the broken Kraang droid at the rock monster, Traang, who deflected it easily. Leatherhead lunged for Traang, sweeping his legs with his tail and grabbing his foot, swinging him around and slamming him into the floor. Miwa ran to join her brothers, thankful they were all right.

"Miwa!" Raph looked her over. "Are you hurt?"

"A little, but I'll live." Miwa assured. "What's your plan to beat this thing?"

"Already on it." Leo assured.

"Leatherhead!" Donnie called. "Get him by the portal!"

Leatherhead simply lifted Traang and threw him directly onto the machine that brought him here, roaring. Donnie lifted his T-phone and pressed a button, causing the explosives on Traang's neck to explode. Everyone ducked as ash, smoke, and flames went everywhere, leaving nothing in its wake.

"We did it!" Donnie cheered.

"Yeah!" Leo laughed.

Leatherhead growled in triumph.

"All right!" Raph punched the air.

"Victory!" Miwa shouted happily.

"High three!" Mikey called.

However…

"What the…?" Leo gasped. Everyone stared as the smoke finally cleared…to reveal the machine and Traang unharmed and intact.

"It's still standing?" Donnie whimpered.

"High three cancelled." Mikey groaned.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Donnie asked.

"I could punch it a few times but I don't think that's gonna do it." Raph shrugged.

"Uh, guys?" Mikey whimpered, pointing to the machine. Everyone looked to see Traang beginning to rise, looking wounded but not at all defeated.

"Oh that can't be good." Miwa gulped.

"Well this day can't get any worse." Raph groaned as Traang replaced his head back on his body. As he did, the machine began to whir and glow. "And it just did."

"Something else might come through!" Donnie realized. Miwa watched in awe as a sort of bubble of pinkish-purple and blue energy appeared in the middle of the machine, right above Traang's head. She could only guess that it was the portal to Dimension X.

"Uh, guys?" Miwa piped up. "Can't we destroy that thing?"

"We'll never get close enough." Leo shook his head. "That rock beast will crush us first!"

"What do we do now?" Donnie asked. Leatherhead suddenly roared again, charging up to the platform and tackling Traang, clawing at his rock face. Meanwhile, the portal grew bigger.

"Leatherhead!" Mikey called. "Something else is coming through!"

"Not if I can help it." Leatherhead said determinedly.

"Leatherhead, what are you doing?" Miwa shouted.

The gator ignored her and grabbed Traang in his muscular arms. He looked back at the Turtles and Miwa one last time with softness in his eyes. "Farewell, my friends." He turned away and jumped towards the portal.

"Leatherhead!" Mikey ran for the portal. "No!"

But it was too late. Leatherhead jumped through the portal and it closed right after him, causing a shockwave that sent Miwa and the Turtles flying back and hitting the floor. They all sat up and stared at the machine, now smoking and no longer glowing.

"Leatherhead." Mikey said sadly. "I can't believe he's gone." Miwa stared at the ground, then at her wound. She covered the makeshift bandage with her hand and squeezed her eyes shut, blocking the tears.

"We've gotta get out of here." Leo urged.

"We can't just leave!" Donnie protested. "With that portal operation the Kraang are more dangerous than ever! We have to destroy it!"

The elevator suddenly dinged, and more Kraang droids spilled into the room firing their guns at the ninjas. Quick as a flash, the five of them flipped off to a broken section of the wall and out of harm's way.

"Maybe later!" Leo urged. He pulled out a grappling hook gun. "We'll be back." He promised, shooting the hook and catching the pipes on the apartment across the street. He and his brothers and sister grabbed the rope and slid across it to the roof of the apartments. They landed softly and hurried across the rooftops, back towards the lair. Miwa paused for a moment and turned back to the TCRI building. She thought back to Leatherhead, and how brave and strong he had been. More than that, he had been so kind; not only to her, but to her brothers. He saved her life, and in return she let him run off into a portal to who-knows-where.

"What happened to the picnic plans?" she muttered bitterly.

"Miwa, let's go." Leo ordered.

"Oh shut up." Miwa snapped, following her brothers back down to the sewers. The entire trip remained silent and tense, even as they walked through the turnstiles and into the lair.

"You're okay!" April sighed in relief as she approached them.

Splinter stood from his spot on the couch and smiled. "Welcome home, my sons. Was your mission successful?"

Leo, Raph, and Mikey plopped themselves down on the couch in the pit, sighing. Donnie stared at the ground, April staring at him worriedly. Miwa clenched her fists.

"Afraid not, Sensei." Leo reported ruefully. "Leatherhead's…gone…."

"Yeah…" Mikey sighed. "But he saved us. And I found this!" He held up a rectangular piece of metal, almost like a box.

"Oh good." Raph said sarcastically. "Now you're picking up alien trash."

Donnie stared at the box and took it from Mikey's hands. "Do you realize what this is?"

"Shiny!" Mikey smiled.

"It's a Kraang data storage device!" Donnie said happily. "If I can decode it, maybe it can help us find a way to stop them!" He hurried off to his lab to work on the device.

Splinter looked towards Miwa. "What troubles you, my daughter?"

Miwa looked up and shed her mask, sighing. "Leatherhead saved my life. When one of the Kraang got me, he took them all down." She showed everyone her wound, making them wince. Splinter hurried off for the first aid kit while April led Miwa to the couches.

"He must've been very brave." April guessed.

"Yes." Miwa nodded. "And very kind. I only wish I could've gotten to know him better."

April looked at each of her friends in turn. "Why don't you tell me _exactly _what happened?"

"Tell us _everything _that happened." Splinter added as he returned.

* * *

"This just doesn't make sense." April sighed. "If the Kraang were trying to terraform the Earth, what did they need my dad for?"

"Well, he _is _a scientist." Leo pointed out.

"Yeah, but he's a psychologist." April explained. "He studies rats running through mazes." She looked to Splinter. "No offense."

"I like a good maze." Splinter shrugged.

"My dad wouldn't know anything about what they're trying to do." April said.

"What about those Kraang weapons he developed?" Miwa asked.

"I suppose he likes to tinker." April admitted. "But the last time he tried to fix the toaster he almost burnt the house down."

"But if they didn't need your dad why were they after him in the first place?" Raph asked from the structure above their heads. Everyone turned as Donnie appeared from his lab, looking tired and very concerned.

"I don't think they were." He sighed. Everyone exchanged worried looks and followed Donnie to his workshop, gathering around his computer. "I used the Kraang processor inside Metalhead to access that storage device. A lot of the files are damage, but I think I found what they're after." He clicked something on the keyboard, and pictures appeared all over his screen. Pictures of a teenage girl with orange hair and light blue eyes.

Pictures of April O'Neil.

April gasped softly. "They're after _me?_"


	4. Cockroach Terminator

**Cockroach Terminator**

Miwa bounced in her seat, the wonderful smell of ramen drifting through the air and into her nose. She didn't care that Leo made instant ramen instead of the authentic stuff she ate in Japan; ramen had a comforting smell that reminded Miwa of her home in Japan, back when Shredder was a little more fatherly. She pushed those thoughts aside, however, because those sweet memories soon stopped when Shredder discovered Miwa's father alive.

"Let's go, Leo!" Mike urged, bouncing in his seat next to Miwa. "I'm starving!"

"You sure you don't want me to help?" Miwa offered. "I can make a mean bowl of noodles. Even the instant kind!"

"I've got it, Miwa." Leo assured, ladling some noodles into a couple bowls. He held one bowl in each hand and balanced a third on his head before carefully making his way to the kitchen island where he, Mikey, Raph, and Miwa ate.

"Yeah, boy!" Mikey cheered. "Ramen!" The second Leo set his bowl in front of him, Mikey began eating hungrily, slurping up large chopstick-fulls of noodles.

Miwa folded her hands with her chopsticks between her palms. "Itadakimasu!" She started eating with her brothers, slurping the noodles alongside Mikey. _I am _so _glad I went shopping the other day._

"Isn't slurping a little rude?" Leo noted.

"In Japan, we slurp because we enjoy." Miwa shrugged. "It _is _pretty good."

Leo thought for a moment before shrugging and slurping up some of his one noodles.

Miwa giggled and raised more noodles to her mouth. But she paused when she noticed something move out of the corner of her eye. She looked down as something crawled onto the counter. "What the…?"

Leo looked down as well, staring somewhat confusedly at the "something". Mikey looked as well, cocking his head with ramen still hanging out of his mouth. The three of them watched as the "something" crawled over to Raph.

Raph held up some ramen to put in his mouth but froze when he noticed… "AAAAAHHH! Roach! Roach!" He screamed. He jumped back, flinging the cockroach back onto the counter. The bug simply shook its tiny head and stood up on a pair of its hind legs, staring at the three turtles and human.

"Aw, it's so cute!" Miwa smiled. "But what's that on its—" Miwa jumped as Raph suddenly stabbed his sai down, trying to kill the roach. Miwa grabbed her bowl and held it a good distance away as Raph started wildly stabbing at the roach, always missing by inches as the roach scurried away. That didn't stop Raph as he tumbled off the counter and hurried after the bug. Miwa, Leo, and Mikey just watched, amused and confused.

"What's his problem?" Miwa asked.

"No idea." Mikey shrugged.

Donnie suddenly rushed in, holding a laptop. "Stop! Stop! You'll smash him!"

"That's the idea!" Raph grunted as he continued his assault.

Donnie held his hand to the floor and allowed the roach to crawl onto his hand. He covered it protectively. "You can't smash _this _roach, okay?" He opened his hand and rubbed the bug's head affectionately. "He's special." He looked to his brothers and sister, but they only stared back. He smiled and held out the roach for them to see. "_Really _special!"

"Okay, I'm going to regret this." Leo sighed. "Why is he special, Donnie?"

"And what the heck is on his back and head?" Miwa added.

"Because I outfitted him with a remote control camera helmet!" Donnie announced proudly.

"Well, that explains why _you're _special." Leo said with a smirk.

Miwa whacked her blue-clad brother upside the head. "That's really cool, Donnie. And a very creative use of a cockroach."

"Thanks, Miwa. But that's not the best part." Donnie explained. "We can send him into TCRI and spy on the Kraang. The camera allows us to see whatever the cockroach sees." He pulled up the camera screen and played back the last thing the roach saw, which happened to be Raph screaming in terror at the sight of the roach.

Mikey laughed. "That is awesome! Big tough Raph is scared of cockroaches."

"I am not!" Raph snapped.

"Oh really?" Mikey had a crafty smirk on his face.

"Don't go there, Mikey." Miwa warned.

"Let's go to the video." Mikey pressed a button on Donnie's laptop.

"I warned ya." Miwa rolled her eyes. _It's a good thing you're cute._

Mikey laughed when he paused the video to show Raph's terrified face. "This is my favorite part right here! Donnie, can I get this on a T-shirt?"

"You wanna see _my_ favorite part?" Raph demanded. He grabbed Mikey and flipped him to the floor, causing everyone to wince in sympathy.

Miwa sighed and helped her dazed brother to his feet. "Told ya not to go there."

"I know." Mikey sighed.

"We're gonna spy on the Kraang, with a cockroach!" Donnie announced proudly. The cockroach squeaked in triumph.

"Great, just great." Raph huffed.

"Oh, relax, Raph." Miwa assured. "What do you have against cockroaches anyway?"

"They're creepy!" Raph snapped. The roach made a sad squeaking sound.

"I think he's cute." Miwa protested. The roach squeaked in delight and crawled quickly over to Miwa, nuzzling her shoulder. Miwa giggled and held the roach in her hand, rubbing his head gently. She held out the roach for Raph to see. "Come on, you can't tell me that's not just a _little _adorable!"

Raph jumped back. "Keep that beast away from me!"

"You guys live in a sewer." Miwa noted. "Aren't you supposed to be, you know, _comfortable _with spiders and rats and roaches and other, quote-on-quote, 'pests' of the sewers?"

"First off, the only reason we're used to rats is because we were raised by one." Raph pointed out. "Secondly, just because we live in a sewer doesn't mean we like very many of the things that live in it."

Miwa rolled her eyes and handed the cockroach to Donnie. "So, when do we put this 'spy-on-the-Kraang-with-a-cockroach' into action?"

"The guys and I will take the Shellraiser down as close to TCRI as possible." Donnie explained. "Then we'll send in the bug and let him do the work while we watch the monitor."

"What do I do?" Miwa asked.

The boys exchanged nervous looks. "Um…" Leo rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well, the thing is…"

"We thought that…well…" Donnie coughed a little.

"It's just that…" even Raph couldn't finish the sentence.

"They don't want you to come." Mikey said as he stood up.

Miwa stared at her brothers, blinking in surprise. "What?"

"Miwa, you were hurt the last time we attacked the Kraang." Donnie reasoned. "We can't risk that happening again."

"I was hurt because we were attacking their headquarters!" Miwa protested. "Leatherhead and I were right in the middle of a huge battle and one of their guns nicked me. It's not a big deal."

"Miwa, try to understand." Leo said. "This won't take very long. Sometimes taking a breather can be healthy."

"I don't need a breather." Miwa insisted. "I need to get out there and keep you guys safe."

"We're ninjas." Raph pointed out. "We put our lives in danger almost every day. Tonight will be no different."

Miwa glared. "That still doesn't explain why I have to stay behind."

"Will you please just stay here and rest?" Donnie requested. "So you're wound can heal?" Miwa glared at the floor, rubbing her arm. The initial wound was gone, but the burn mark remained. When that didn't work, Donnie said, "So you can spend more time with Splinter?"

Miwa paused in her actions, and Donnie realized he hit the perfect nerve point. Splinter had been trying to spend as much time as possible with Miwa, to catch up with her after being separated for so long. Miwa stayed by Splinter's side almost as much as Haiiro did. Although she missed her father and wanted to spend much of her day with him, she also loved going out with her brothers and beating up bad guys like the Kraang. But, she knew the boys were intent on keeping her at home, probably to protect her just like she wanted to protect them.

"You guys give the Kraang an extra beating for me, okay?" Miwa requested.

* * *

Miwa took slow, deep, silent breaths as she meditated, her legs crossed and her eyes closed; her hands folded one on top of the other in her lap. But her thoughts kept traveling to her brothers, out there right now, doing who-knows-what as they spied on the Kraang. Any number of things could go wrong; they could be in trouble right now and she may have to help them. But she remained in her position, futilely trying to push those thoughts from her head. Miwa opened her eyes to stare at her father, sitting just a few feet in front of her and mirroring her meditative position. Haiiro was curled in a furry grey ball between them, napping peacefully. Miwa sighed.

Splinter opened his eyes to see Miwa's troubled look. "What troubles you, my daughter?"

Miwa looked into her father's caring eyes. "I guess I'm a little bummed considering the guys left me behind this time."

"There is nothing wrong with taking a break." Splinter noted.

"I know." Miwa nodded. "But I just wanted to be out there and a part of the action. I hate being cooped up in here."

"I can understand that." Splinter nodded. "I often feel the same way. You would not believe how many times I snuck out of my home against my master's wishes when I was young."

Miwa raised an eyebrow. "You hate being cooped up, yet you almost never leave the lair. Forgive me, Father, but that sounds awfully contradictory."

Splinter smiled softly, but his eyes looked troubled. "I am content in the lair; it's actually quite roomy."

Miwa sighed and tucked her loose hanging-hair behind her ear. "Otōsan, why _do _you stay down here? Why don't you go out on patrol with your sons?"

Splinter gave Miwa a strange look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the only reason Shredder truly knows you're alive is because he's seen you." Miwa explained. "And now he knows your true identity. You're always so concerned that the boys are going to get hurt or killed, yet you stay down here all the time." She looked down, as though ashamed of what she said next. "It's like…..you're hiding…trying to run away from your problems."

Miwa waited for her father to scold her, yell at her, and/or deny what she claimed. Instead, he sighed. "I understand why you are confused. I believe my sons noticed the same thing you have just now, and that is why they asked me to go up to the surface so many weeks before."

"So why _do _you stay down here?" Miwa asked.

Splinter started absently mindedly stoking Haiiro's fur. "I stay down here…..to protect my sons….."

Miwa blinked in surprise, but remained silent to allow her father to continue.

"The boys asked me many times over the years, 'When can we go to the surface?' When my sons turned fifteen, they once again asked for my permission to go up there. For the first time in years, I felt as though they were ready to go up there and see the world I had left behind. I was scared for their safety, yes, but also trusted in their abilities; their recent victories are proof of their skill. But not a day goes by when I don't worry about whether or not they come home. I would love to be up there, guarding them, as a father should. But it is not my responsibility. They must prove that they can do this on their own; that they do not need their father constantly hanging over their shoulder. They _are _teenage boys, after all." Splinter smiled and Miwa giggled. "But most of all, I could not risk being seen."

"Why not?" Miwa asked.

"Because if Shredder ever found me, he will use the boys against me." Splinter stopped petting Haiiro. "If he found me out there, he would threaten the boys to get to me; or he might threaten _me _to get to the boys. Either way, it would put my sons in danger; I _cannot _risk that, no matter what happens. The boys know to call if they are truly in danger, and I will do whatever it takes to get them out of trouble alive should the need arise."

"But…you can't go up there because of Shredder." Miwa realized.

Splinter nodded. "I cannot take such a risk. You saw what happened in our last confrontation with the Shredder; we just made it out with our lives and Shredder still lives."

Miwa pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them. "I guess you're right." She sighed. "Will you _ever _come to the surface again?"

Splinter smiled and ruffled his daughter's hair. "I am sure of it. In time, I will join my students in battle once more."

Miwa smiled. "I have one more question."

"What is that?"

"Why is Raphael so afraid of cockroaches?"

Splinter chuckled. "Oh, so that _wasn't _my son screaming 'Roach!' earlier today?"

Miwa laughed. "It was him, all right. Donnie found a cockroach, took it in as a pet, and gave it a spy camera so they could send in the bug to spy on the Kraang."

"Interesting." Splinter mused.

"But Raph freaked out!" Miwa laughed. "He looked absolutely terrified! I just don't understand how someone as tough as Raph can be scared by something as small as a bug."

Splinter's smile faded a little. "Well, _that _is certainly an interesting story."

Miwa perked up a little. "Really? Tell it to me."

Splinter sighed and nodded. "Very well."

* * *

_Splinter picked up an old laptop and looked it over. He wasn't as tech-savvy as his genius son Donatello, but even _he _could tell it looked broken beyond repair. However, he knew Donatello was smart enough to fix it or use the components for something truly amazing. Even if some of his inventions exploded or malfunctioned, Splinter couldn't help but feel proud of his intellectual son._

_Splinter stuffed the old laptop in his bag and glanced down the tunnel a ways. "Raphael, we must continue on."_

_The eight-year-old turtle looked up at his father with a smile. "Just a sec!" He hoisted the handle of his bag over his shoulder and dragged it across the ground as he hurried to Splinter's side. He readjusted the red mask over his lime green eyes, smiling proudly as he held up his bag. "Check out what I got!"_

_Splinter looked into the bag and noticed the variety of toys and puzzles. "Well done, Raphael."_

"_Thanks, Master Splinter." Raph smiled broadly. "I found some old stuffed animals for Mikey because he's been complaining that he can't sleep at night and some remote control cars I thought Donnie could fix up. I also got some books about these great warrior guys for Leo because apparently he's obsessed with this kind of stuff."_

_Splinter chuckled and ruffled the boy's head, messing up the position of his mask. "You are very kind to think of your brothers, Raphael."_

_Raph laughed and readjusted his mask. "Well, I also found some wooden boards for me to punch during training. And besides, these guys have been bugging me about things they want while I was out on our scavenging."_

"_I see." Splinter nodded. However, he knew that the boys hadn't requested anything of their red-clad brother. "Come; we should return home."_

"_Got it." Raphael lifted the bag again and started dragging it across the ground, smiling all the way. He couldn't wait to see the look on his brothers' faces when they saw all the stuff he brought for them. He also couldn't wait for Mikey to finally fall asleep and stay asleep without waking up from nightmares every night. Splinter glanced back at his small son every now and then, smiling at how kind the red-clad turtle seemed when he thought of his brothers. He supposed it came from a strong sense of protection for the terrapins; Raphael knew the dangers of the surface and the world outside the lair, and he seemed determined to keep his brothers from that danger._

_Splinter's rat ears suddenly twitched, and he froze. Raph bumped into the rat's leg and looked up quizzically. But Splinter only glared down the tunnels, his red-brown eyes narrowing. Raph grabbed his father's robes and tugged on them gently. "Daddy?"_

_Splinter shushed him quietly, kneeling beside Raph and putting a hand on his shell. Raph stared down the tunnel, searching the darkness for anything he father could see but he couldn't. Suddenly, voices echoed down the tunnel._

"_Can't we get the devil out of here?"_

"_Oh man up! We're almost done!"_

"_I got sewer slime on my shoes!"_

"_That's the only thing good about those shoes."_

"_Raphael, hide!" Splinter hissed, pushing Raphael down another tunnel. He stowed the bags in a small crevice and put Raphael behind them. "I want you to stay here and stay quiet, all right?"_

"_But Dad—"_

"_Raphael, please." Splinter looked down the hall as the voices came closer. "Stay down and I will be back soon. But you cannot move from this spot."_

_Raph stared down the hall. "Promise you'll come back?"_

_Splinter smiled. "I promise. Now stay down." He gently pushed Raph down behind the bags and hurried off, hiding behind the corner and staying in the shadows as two men came down the sewer tunnel. One man had dark black hair and blue eyes and his companion had brown hair and golden brown eyes._

"_Victor, why are we down here again?" the brown haired man asked._

"_Because, Tyler, we need test subjects and the department won't give us any more animals." The black haired man replied, shining his flashlight around. "We set up a few traps and we'll have rats coming out our ears, perfect for our experiments."_

"_Maybe the department wouldn't be refusing us lab animals is you didn't keep overusing the ones they kept giving us!" Tyler snapped. "I still say those animals—'"_

"_For the love of Pete, Tyler!" Victor groaned. "If you care so much about animals, you shouldn't have become a scientist!"_

_Tyler glared. "Dr. Victor Falco, your temper never ceases to amaze me."_

_Victor rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Dr. Tyler Rockwell, your ridiculousness enver ceases to amaze _me_. Come on; we'll set a few more traps and then go for some Chinese or something. My treat."_

_Tyler smiled. "Fine. Let's just hurry. This place creeps me out." _

"_Stop being so dramatic." Victor waved him off. "It's not like a giant sewer gator lives down here."_

_Raph leaned out to check on Splinter, only to accidently knock the laptop from Splinter's bag. He winced when he crashed to the ground, the sound echoing down the tunnel. Splinter flinched and turned to glare sternly at his son._

_Victor and Tyler spun around. Victor shined his flashlight down the tunnel. "What was that?"_

"_Maybe your sewer gator." Tyler teased._

"_I'm serious, Tyler!" Victor started walking down the tunnel. "It came from down there."_

_Tyler narrowed his eyes and set his bag down, pulling out a small gun. "Let's check it out."_

_Victor raised an eyebrow at his companion. "A tranquilizer gun? Really?"_

"_You never know." Tyler shrugged. Victor rolled his eyes and they slowly journeyed down to the tunnel. Victor shined his flashlight down the hole, looking all around for anything that could've made the noise. But nothing could be seen except stone and cement and bricks. A few rats scurried by. Meanwhile, Splinter hid farther down the tunnel, behind a corner leading down yet another tunnel._

"_Maybe we should just set the traps and get out of here." Tyler urged. Victor stared down the tunnel one last time before turning and walking with his friend. Tyler suddenly stopped and turned to a crevice nearby. He slowly approached the dark corner, holding his tranquilizer gun ready. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed two large sacks with a laptop and other technology spilling out. He slowly approached the bags, but jumped back when he noticed a shadow quivering behind them. He held the gun ready as he peered over the bags to see…a turtle; a large, child-sized turtle wearing a red bandana._

"_Hey there, little guy." Tyler said kindly. "What are you doing down here? What _are _you in general?" The tiny turtle didn't answer; he trembled in fear, his eyes wide and staring at him._

"_Hey!"_

_Tyler jumped when Victor suddenly snatched the turtle child by its shell and hoisted it into the air. "Would you look at this?" Victor laughed, looking over the shaking specimen in his grip. "What on earth is this?"_

"_Easy, there Victor!" Tyler urged. "You'll hurt him!"_

"_Oh, he's fine." Victor waved him off. "But just look at him! I wonder if he's some sort of new breed or a crossbreed or some other form of mutation! We gotta get him back to the lab!"_

"_Victor, no good can come from messing with something like that." Tyler said, walking bag towards the entrance of the tunnel. "I'll get my camera and we can take some pictures. But then you're going to put him down and we're getting out of here."_

"_How do you know it's a 'he'?" Victor demanded. "And we can't let him go! We need to study him at the lab!"_

"_Victor, put him down before you catch something or, even worse, anger his mother."_

"_Oh please! How do you know he has a mother? Or parents in general? I bet he's just—AH!"_

_Victor's eyes widened when something grabbed his free hand and hoist him into the air and to eye level with a large, furry creature with a pink tail and red-brown eyes, currently glaring at him. "Put my son down. Now!" Splinter shouted._

_Victor shouted in terror and dropped Raph to the floor, who scurried away behind his father. "Tyler!"_

"_What is it now?" Tyler groaned, but his eyes widened at the sight of the giant rat holding his friend up in the air. "What the—"_

"_Shoot it!" Victor shouted as Splinter dropped him. "Shoot it!"_

_Tyler hurriedly held up the gun and fired, only for the rat to catch the dart and toss it aside. Splinter scooped up Raph and took off down the tunnels while Victor hurried to Tyler's side. "Wait, our stuff!" Raph wiggled out of Splinter's arms and ran back towards the bags in the crevice._

"_Raphael, wait!" Splinter hurried after his son._

"_Shoot it!" Victor ordered._

"_Are you crazy?" Tyler demanded._

"_Aim for his arm!" Victor urged. "The dart will deflect right off the shell!"_

"_I'm not shooting a kid!" Tyler refused._

"_Oh for the love of—" Victor grabbed the gun from Tyler, aimed, and fired the dart towards the turtle child._

"_Raphael!" Splinter shouted, diving towards the turtle and wrapping his arms around him. He winced when the dart suddenly pierced his neck. Instantly, the rat felt the sedatives in the dart cloud his mind and make his muscles feel like jelly. "Go. Get back to the lair." He ordered, pushing Raph down the tunnels._

"_But Dad—" Raph jumped back when Splinter suddenly fell to the ground, out cold in seconds. He shook his father's shoulder. "Dad, wake up! I'm not leaving you!" He yelped when Victor suddenly grabbed his shell again and pulled him into the air. Victor suddenly threw the turtle into a large cage, shutting and locking the door behind him._

"_We got 'em!" Victor cheered. "Here, you carry the kid I'll get the rat."_

"_Have you gone mad?" Tyler demanded, unwillingly taking the cage with the turtle._

"_Tyler, we've hit the jackpot!" Victor cheered, struggling a little to drag the large rat down the tunnel. "We take these back and we'll have the department eating out of our hands!"_

"_The rest of the department's out on Spring Break!" Tyler reminded him. "We're the only ones in the entire building for a whole week!"_

"_So we'll get to run some tests before anyone else!" Victor said. "Now come on!" He continued to drag the large rat down the tunnel. Tyler looked solemnly down at the turtle child, trembling and whimpering in fear, before sighing and gathering his things. He followed his friend down the tunnel._

* * *

"Kidnapped by scientists?" Miwa repeated. "Talk about a mutant's worst nightmare."

Splinter sighed. "It only became worse from there."

"When do we get to the part about the cockroach phobia?"

"Be patient."

* * *

_Splinter sat with his legs crossed and his hands in his lap, keeping his eyes closed as he tried to meditate. It didn't help that the two humans who kidnapped him and his son stood right outside his cage, one of them almost gushing over him. _

"_It's amazing!" Victor said with a smile. "It's unreal! It's…absolutely incredible!"_

Merciful heavens above. _Splinter almost groaned. He was just glad his back was to the men so that he could block out some of their noise._

"_I don't know what to do first!" Victor laughed. "I mean, do we study its brainwaves or its muscle mass or—"_

"_Victor, knock it off!" Tyler snapped. "We can't hurt this thing."_

"_Why not?" Victor demanded. "We have to hurry and run our tests before everyone comes back from break and tries to run their own tests! One look at it and the turtle and we'll hardly get any time with them!"_

_Splinter opened his eyes and looked over at the cage beside him. Raph sat inside, curled in a ball and trembling. He whimpered now and then, his eyes squeezed shut and clutching his head in his hands. He looked absolutely miserable and terrified, ready to cry any second now. Splinter's heart hurt at the thought of his son trapped in a cage, about to be subjected to experiments that could or could not harm him or cause him pain that would either kill him or cause him psychological damage._

No. _Splinter determined. _I cannot let that happen. _He turned around to face the two scientists bickering in front of the cage. "Excuse me."_

_Tyler and Victor jumped with a shout. "Did it just talk?" Victor asked._

"'_It' is a humanoid rat." Splinter droned a little. "One would think that the ability to speak was a given."_

_Tyler suppressed a laugh. "My friend, you just got scolded by a giant rat."_

_Victor glared at Tyler, then turned to Splinter. "Can I help you with something?"_

"_I will make you a deal." Splinter offered. "I can assure you I have the capabilities to escape my cage with my son and neither of you will be able to stop me."_

_Tyler and Victor exchanged worried looks._

"_However, if you can assure the turtle's safety and release him back into the sewers, then I will not attempt any escape whatsoever." Splinter offered._

"_Done!" Victor said immediately._

"_What?" Tyler asked._

"_Now, why don't we get started?" Victor moved to one of the tables nearby and looked over the myriad of tools resting on it. "I wonder if the brain tissue is similar to ours or a rat's. Or if they're completely different?"_

"_Whoa, whoa, wait a second!" Tyler snapped. "Victor, this is a living creature that deserves _to _live!"_

"_Oh, enough with the dramatics, Tyler!" Victor snapped, holding up a syringe with a strange clear liquid inside. "He's an animal! He may talk like us but he doesn't think like us! Underneath that 'intelligence' charade, he's just a wild animal like that turtle freak!"_

_Raph whimpered a little, but he was left unheard. Tyler looked back and forth between the two caged animals and his companion. "All right, can I make a tiny suggestion?"_

"_What?" Victor droned._

"_Can we wait a day or two?" Tyler asked. "We can feed the rat tonight and then he'll be rested for tomorrow. Also, why don't you start with the tests that require him breathing and living? We don't want to kill the rat before we cover all the bases."_

_Victor thought for a moment. "Fine." He set the syringe down and stomped from the room. Tyler trailed after him, locking the door to the lab behind him._

"_So how about I go down and find some food for them?" Tyler suggested. "Then we'll get the turtle to the sewers tomorrow morning."_

"_We're not taking that thing back." Victor said._

_Tyler stared at his friend. "What?"_

"_We can't let that thing get away!" Victor protested. "We'll never catch it again!"_

"_Victor, we gave our word." Tyler protested._

"_Tyler, that rat and the turtle are freaks." Victor said. "In what universe is the word of a _rat _valid?"_

"_Victor—"_

"_Why don't you just go to bed? We have a lot of work to do tomorrow."_

"_What about their food?"_

"_They don't need to eat."_

_Victor walked off, leaving Tyler nearly fuming in the hallway._

_Raph's eyes widened and he turned to stare at Splinter. "They're not gonna let us go."_

"_I should've known they wouldn't keep their word." Splinter sighed._

"_Forget about me!" Raph said desperately. "What about you?"_

"_My life means nothing if you are dead." Splinter explained, examining the latch of Raphael's cage from where he sat._

_Raph stared at Splinter. "What? How can you say that?"_

_Splinter sighed. "I lost a child once before Raphael. I can't lose another one."_

"_What do you mean?" Raph whimpered._

_Splinter looked around. "There has to be a way to open that door."_

"_Forget about the stupid door!" Raph snapped. "How can you willingly put your safety ahead of mine? I don't want you to die and neither to my brothers! What am I supposed to tell them if I ever get home and you're not with me?"_

"_Pipe down!"_

_Raph and Splinter jumped when Tyler shut and locked the door before approaching Raph's cage. Splinter let out an animalistic growl. "Leave him alone."_

"_I won't hurt him." Tyler promised, taking out a set of keys from his lab coat pocket. "But if you two don't stay quiet Victor might hear." He found the right key and unlocked the padlock on Raph's cage, opening the door and carefully helping Raph out. Then Tyler moved to Splinter's larger cage and unlocked his as well. The second the door opened, Raph darted inside and jumped into his father's arms._

"_Why are you doing this?" Splinter demanded._

"_Because Victor may be my friend, but he's also cruel." Tyler explained. "I won't stand for it this time. With other test animals, we could never talk to them or make deals. Now get out of here before—"_

"_Well now, what do we have here?"_

_Tyler, Splinter, and Raph spun around to see Victor standing next to the door, slamming it shut and holding a remote control. "You realize that I have the key to this room as well, right? I can get in even if you lock the door."_

"_Victor, I've had enough." Tyler said. "We let them go, we can pretend this was all our imagination."_

"_No, I don't think so." Victor pressed a button on the remote. "You know how I've been studying cockroaches and army ants for a while? Well, this is what I've been developing."_

_Tyler, Splinter, and Raph stared as the sound of metal hitting the floor echoed through the lab, and a large, robotic creature suddenly emerged from the shadows. The large metal beast, a little smaller than a Volkswagen bug, looked like large, silvery cockroach, with glowing red eyes and a large set of sharp pinchers, like an ant's, right on its mouth._

"_Dear heaven above." Tyler breathed. "Victor, what the hell is that?"_

"_Well, why don't we call it a Cockroach Terminator?" Victor said with a sadistic smile. "Because it's shaped like a cockroach, and it's about to terminate the rat and the turtle." He pressed more buttons on the remote, and the metal cockroach suddenly charged for Splinter and Raph. Splinter set Raph on the ground and grabbed a scalpel from the counter. He threw it like a kunai, nailing the bug right in one of its glowing red eyes. The robot didn't even pause as it slammed its pinchers into Splinter's stomach, causing him to fly backwards and hit the wall. Then, it turned to Raph, snapping its saw-like pinchers at the turtle. Raph shouted and jumped back; Tyler scooped him up and jumped aside as the robot crashed into a table and sent it crashing to the ground. Tyler opened the window and set the turtle on the fire escape._

"_Stay here." Tyler ordered, jumping aside as the robot almost slammed into him. Raph jumped back and almost fell off the fire escape. Suddenly, Splinter grabbed one of the robot's legs and threw it into the wall while Tyler grappled with Victor for the remote._

"_Stop!" Victor shouted. "Don't! If this thing breaks—" Suddenly, the remote flew out of his hands and out the window. Raph ducked before looking down to watch the remote fall all the way down to the street, where it smashed to multiple pieces. Victor gave Tyler a shove. "Are you crazy? Without the remote, the robot will go—" He grunted as the robot suddenly slammed him into a wall, and he slumped to the ground. "…rogue….." he muttered before falling unconscious. Tyler jumped away as the robot came after him. Splinter took Tyler's arm and gently tossed him aside and out of harm's way, only for the robot to snap at him next. Splinter jumped aside, but the pinchers on the robot's mouth caught his tail and he fell to the floor._

_Raph, in a fleeting moment of bravery, ran inside the room and grabbed a broom from the corner. He swung it like a bat with all his strength, managing to whack the robot roach on the head. "Leave my dad alone!"_

_The roach let Splinter go and turned to the small turtle, letting out a metallic screech that scared Raph into dropping the broom. He scurried backwards, falling to the ground as he did, and stared at the advancing robot threatening to slice his head off with its pinchers. Raph's back hit the wall and he shouted in terror as the robot cockroach lunged for the kill._

_Tyler suddenly shouted in effort and slammed the axe in his hand right into the robot's neck, decapitating him. He hacked off the robot's legs and Splinter rammed into it, flipping the body of the roach over on its back. Tyler pried open the panel underneath and sliced through some wires inside until the roach stopped twitching and powered down._

_Tyler panted a little and pushed his hair out of his face. "Well…that was fun."_

_Splinter chuckled a little and hurried to his son's side. "Are you all right?"_

_Raph stared at his father for a moment before he jumped up and wrapped his arms around Splinter's neck, crying softly into the crook of the rat's neck. Splinter held him close, sighing in relief. He looked up at Tyler. "Thank you. For helping us."_

"_Not a problem." Tyler assured, holding up the axe. "The beauties of having a fire axe in the room." He laughed a little. "You guys better get out of here. I'll figure out some sort of excuse when Victor wakes up."_

"_Thank you." Splinter nodded, still holding Raphael as he climbed out the window. "You are very kind, Dr. Rockwell. Live a long and healthy life."_

"_Thanks." Tyler nodded with a smile. Splinter smiled back and disappeared into the shadows, holding Raphael close to his chest. The eight-year-old tot wouldn't stop trembling all the way to the sewers._

* * *

"So, Raph's afraid of cockroaches because a giant robotic one attacked you guys?" Miwa summarized.

"Yes." Splinter nodded.

"Wow." Miwa sighed. "Talk about a traumatic experience."

"The experience didn't just affect his attitude on roaches." Splinter sighed. "It affected his attitude as a whole…especially changing how he treated his brothers."

* * *

_Splinter readjusted the bag over his shoulder and looked down at Raph, dragging his bag behind him and holding a glare in his eyes. He no longer trembled or asked to be held. In fact, the second they found their scavenging bags and started home, Raph demanded to be let down so he could walk. Splinter offered his hand for Raph to hold for comfort, but the red-clad turtle refused._

"_Master Splinter!" chorused three happy turtles as they stampeded towards their father and brother. "Raph!"_

"_Did ya get us some good stuff?" eight-year-old Donnie asked excitedly._

"_I found you this." Splinter said, kneeling down to his tallest son and pulling out the old laptop. "I thought you could fix this up and use it."_

_Donnie took the laptop eagerly and looked it over with wide eyes and a wider smile. "I could fix this up in a day! Thanks Dad!" He hugged Splinter tight, smiling broadly._

_Eight-year-old Leo's eyes widened. "Father, what happened to your tail?"_

_Splinter looked back and noticed the blood on his tail when the robot bit him. "Ah, yes…..Raphael and I encountered a stray dog and I was bitten."_

"_Wow, Raphie!" Eight-year-old Mikey said with a smile. "I bet you were super tough, huh?"_

"_Of course I was!" Raph snapped angrily. "I'm always tough; don't be stupid."_

"_Raphael." Splinter scolded. "Do not be so rude. Don't you have something to show your brothers?"_

"_Did ya get us something while you were out? "Mikey asked excitedly._

_Raph looked down at his sack. "Uh, yeah, I did." He threw the bag into Mikey, who fell backwards from the sheer weight of the bag. "There's some toys and books in there for you. But don't touch the wooden boards! Those are for my training! You touch them and I'll smash your shells open!" He stomped off with that same glare in his eyes._

"_Raphael, where are you going?" Splinter asked._

"_To my room." Raph replied simply. "I'm tired."_

_Everyone winced when Raph slammed his bedroom door shut. They exchanged worried glances. "What's the matter with _him_?" Mikey asked worriedly, clutching the teddy bear Raph found for him._

* * *

"The experience taught Raphael this: if you show you care for people you love, it only puts them in danger." Splinter sighed. "So he treats his brothers with a sort of tough love in order to protect them and himself."

Miwa stared at the floor. "That's why he's so angry all the time; and why he's a little abusive. He wants to protect his brothers by not showing any love towards them."

"Precisely." Splinter nodded.

Miwa took a breath. "Wow. I don't think I'll be able to look at him the same way again." She and Splinter looked up at the familiar sound of the guys, shouting and cheering as they journeyed back into the lair. "They're back."

"Why don't you go to them?" Splinter suggested, gesturing towards the living room. Miwa smiled and hurried off. She paused at the doorway.

"Hey, Sensei?" She asked. "Do you _really _think Raph acts the way he does because he cares?"

"Do you not act the same way?" Splinter countered. Miwa looked down, but then smirked and laughed. She waved as she jogged off, leaving Splinter to meditate once more. She entered the living room to see the guys settled down. Leo and Donnie sat in the pit, Raph started pounding on his punching bag, and Mikey played the pinball machine.

"Hey guys." Miwa greeted, sitting beside Donnie. "How was the mission?"

"Worked out in the end." Leo shrugged. "Raph had a very productive evening."

"Oh?" Miwa raised an eyebrow at the red-clad turtle.

Leo looked to Raph. "Raph, you faced your fear and saved the city. Not bad for a Wednesday."

"Faced my fear?" Raph scoffed with an ecstatic smile as he paused in his punching session. "I _conquered _my fear!" He grabbed Mikey excitedly. "I looked my fear in the eye and I zapped it to oblivion!"

"Should I take that statement literally?" Miwa asked Donnie.

"Oh yeah." Donnie nodded.

"So you're not afraid of cockroaches anymore, huh?" Mikey asked.

"Nope." Raph shook his head with a proud smile.

"Good, good." Mikey mused. "Then you won't mind the one I just slipped into your shell."

Raph's eyes went wide. He suddenly started shouting and jumping all over the room, trying to get the roach out of his shell even if Mikey was bluffing. His brothers and sister laughed, very amused by the red-masked turtle's panic attack over a little bug. Miwa smiled as Raph continued to freak out. She thought back to what Splinter told her, and the experience that made Raph the hot-head, tougher-than-nails turtle he was today. Only now she knew that he did it out of love and protection for his family.

_I love you, Raph. _Miwa thought. _You're my brother, and I will protect you just as you protect us._

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of Turtle presence. I had a hard time visualizing where Miwa would be and what she would say during this episode. Besides, I thought it would be fun to explore why Raph is afraid of cockroaches of all things. Hope you liked it!**

**Japanese translations:**

**Itadakimasu- blessing before you eat. "I will receive"**

**I had a request from a reviewer to put Miwa in "Monkey Brains". I suppose I could do that. It'll be a week until the next episode and I've got plenty more research to do for "Many Homes, Many Families, One Heart". So I'm going to go a little off-course and see what I can do about putting Miwa in "Monkey Brains". Are there any other episodes you guys want to see Miwa in?**


	5. Baxter's Gambit

**Baxter's Gambit**

"Whoa!" Donnie exclaimed, looking through his telescope. "That's a sub-spacial endopartical disrupter!"

Miwa rolled her eyes from her spot on the roof. "Someone here speak Nerdese?"

"Gonna have to explain if that's 'Oh no' or 'Yay'." Leo agreed.

"In the hands of the Kraang?" Donnie groaned. "It's a definite 'Oh no.'"

"Why?" Mikey asked. "What does it do?"

"The disrupter can desynchronize subatomic resonances which invert polymolecular structures causing them to implode." Donnie explained. Mikey only cocked his head like a confused puppy.

"It makes things go 'Boom.'" Raph said bluntly.

"Technically," Donnie corrected. "it makes things go 'Shweee! Shoooooo! Pop!'" His brothers and sister stared at him strangely, blinking in bewilderment. "It's important to be accurate."

"Not that talking about polymolecular structures imploding isn't fun and all," Miwa said as she jumped down to her brothers. "But don't you think we should get down there and stop the Kraang from taking it? Who knows what kind of damage they could do with something like that?"

"Okay, guys." Leo instructed. "Get in position." He and his siblings stood on the edge of the roof, glaring down at the Kraang. Miwa noticed the guys' eyes go pure white, as they always did when about to go into battle. _Wish my eyes could do that. It's like going Leatherhead. _But she pushed the thought of the alligator aside; her heart still hurt from the incident that took him away.

"Ready?" Leo signaled.

"Let's just do this!" Raph urged. The five ninjas leaped into the air, somersaulted a few times, and landed softly on the ground just ten feet from the Kraang. Something else landed on the other side of the droids with equal force. When everyone stood up, the Lotus Clan stood on one side of the Kraang and the Foot Ninja, led by Dogpound and Fishface, stood on the other.

"Oh brilliant." Miwa groaned.

"Kraang _and _Fishface _and _Dogpound?" Raph looked excited. "I must be dreaming, pinch me!" He yelped when Mikey obeyed, hitting the smaller turtle's head.

"You said!" Mikey whined.

"Last I checked, having _both _sets of our enemies in one place was a bad thing!" Miwa added. Suddenly, the Foot Clan attacked, forcing the Turtles and Miwa to jump into battle. Immediately, it became an all-out brawl among the Kraang, Turtles, Miwa, and the Foot. The Foot, the Turtles, and Miwa fought to destroy the Kraang and each other while the Kraang just tried to shoot both groups. The Foot and the Turtles both went for the disrupter gun, only to be knocked aside by each other.

Miwa slashed her gauntlets and broke her opponent's weapon to pieces before jumping up and roundhouse kicking his head. The ninja stumbled into Mikey, who swiped is nunchakus and knocked the ninja out cold. Miwa and Mikey smiled at each other before resuming the fight. But then, Miwa noticed one of the Kraang pick up the disrupter gun and aim it for a certain turtle. "Mikey! Look out!"

Mikey turned, just as the Kraang fired the gun. Donnie suddenly leaped forward and tackled the smaller turtle aside while everyone else jumped to avoid it. The blast slammed into a car, forcing it to make the exact same noises Donnie demonstrated before shrinking and disappearing in a pop.

"Whoa!" Mikey laughed. "Donnie, you totally called it, bro!"

"They're getting away!" Miwa shouted, jumping after the van as the Kraang pulled the hatch down. The car sped off, leaving everyone else in the dust. To top it off, police sirens sounded off from farther down the road.

"Guys, we gotta move!" Leo ordered. He glanced over and Raph and Fishface, still locked in combat. "Raph, now!"

Fishface shoved Raph aside and sneered. "Yes. Run along now, boy." He hurried off to join Dogpound as they disappeared into the shadows.

"This isn't over, Fishface!" Raph assured before following his siblings the other way.

"Well that was fun." Miwa smirked.

"Fun?" Leo repeated. "We lost the disrupter!"

"Yeah, but we got a nice workout fighting the Foot Ninjas!" Miwa laughed.

"That was not fun!" Leo snapped. "It was an embarrassment!"

"Oh, lighten up, Leo!" Miwa waved him off.

"Maybe I _don't _need to lighten up!" Leo growled. "Maybe _you _need to take our fights more seriously!"

Miwa glared at her brother, but didn't say another word.

* * *

Donnie stared straight ahead, fully focused on the task. He remained kneeling on the ground, even when he heard the swishing of Splinter's robes that indicated the rat was right behind him. Splinter stood right behind his tallest son with the wooden katana in hand. He raised it above his head like an executioner, except _this_ was going to be much more fun.

Donnie tried to move, only for the wooden katana blade to whack him on the head. "Aw man!" He groaned, rubbing his sore noggin. He should've known Splinter would move faster than he would.

Splinter moved to Michelangelo next, who couldn't sit still the entire time. He tried to move, but then stopped, and then repeated the action several times; all while glancing nervously back at his sensei. "Just so we're clear, Sensei, you _are _planning on swinging, right?" He yelped when the wood met his head, confirming his assumption.

Raph didn't even get the chance to move an inch before the katana came down sharply on his skull. But he could only yelp and then growl in frustration.

Then came Leo, who remained perfectly still the entire exercise. Splinter narrowed his eyes, wondering if his blue-clad son would prevail where his brothers had not. Splinter raised the katana, paused, and then brought it down again….missing Leo by inches as he sidestepped and flipped to avoid it. "Yes!" Leo cheered.

_Show off. _Miwa thought. She became the last one to go, staying still and quiet with her eyes closed. Everyone watched as Splinter approached her, yet she didn't open her eyes. Splinter raised his sword….swung it down….and Miwa opened her eyes. She suddenly spun around to kneel on one knee and she clapped her hands together on the wooden blade, halting its descent inches from her forehead. She pushed the blade away and back flipped farther from her father, landing in a crouching position with her hands held out and ready to fight.

Leo glared at Miwa. _Show off._

"What is the point of this anyway?" Raph demanded.

"Evading a sword you cannot see demonstrates an ability to sense your enemy's intention." Splinter explained.

"I already know my enemy's intention, Sensei!" Raph protested. "To take me down."

"Knowing _that _your enemy will strike is a given." Splinter said. "But sensing _when _he will strike can mean the difference between victory and defeat."

Raph looked down, taking in his teacher's words. "Hai, Sensei." He, his brothers, and Miwa bowed in respect as Splinter dismissed them.

"Hey guys!" April greeted as they emerged from the dojo.

"Hey April!" Miwa greeted, pulling her friend into a side-hug.

"You here for your training?" Donnie guessed.

"Yeah." April nodded. "I gotta train as much as I can. If the Kraang are really after me, I want to be prepared."

"You know you can call us and we'll be at your side in two seconds." Mikey assured.

"I don't want you guys to be distracted with me when you've got the Kraang invasion _and _the Foot to worry about." April assured. "Besides, Splinter said he'd train me to be a konoichi, and I want to be the best."

"You will." Miwa assured. "Maybe when you get a weapon, we can spar."

"You wanna spar right now?" Donnie offered.

"Donnie, we got patrol." Leo reminded him as he and the others made their way for the turnstiles. "We have to see if the Kraang did any damage with that disrupter ray they got last night."

Donnie groaned, but Miwa grabbed his arm and pulled him aside. "Come on, lover boy."

"Lover boy?" Donnie stuttered a little. "W-why call me 'lover boy'? What g-gave you that idea?" He chuckled nervously and continued to deny it all the way out of the sewers. April only smiled and journeyed off to the dojo to train.

* * *

The five ninjas hurried across the rooftops, through the city on their usual patrol. Miwa constantly had to slow down on account of her running much faster than the boys did. She soon got to the point when she had to full-on stop and wait on a rooftop for her brothers to catch up.

Before they could move on, Donnie spoke up. "I got eyes on one giant dog and fish, six o'clock."

"Where?" Mikey asked excitedly, but his look soon turned to disappointment. "Aw man. It's just Fishface and Dogpound." Everyone looked down on the street, where the larger mutants stood almost fully cloaked in the streetlights.

"What are they doing out in the open like this?" Leo wondered aloud. "I think we should proceed with caution, guys. Guys?" But when he turned to his siblings, he realized they had already jumped down and started fighting the dog and fish mutants. He groaned. "Man. Why do I even bother?" He jumped down after them.

Raph and Miwa approached Fishface, brandishing their weapons threateningly. "Where were we?" Raph taunted. "Oh yeah. I was turning you into fish sticks!"

"Actually," Fishface smirked. "I believe I was turning you into turtle soup."

"And _I _am getting tired of this." Miwa lunged for Fishface, punching him right in the jaw. Raph soon followed, blocking two of Fishface's blows and kicking him aside. Leo jumped up to pin Dogpound to the ground, but he was knocked off and the two mutants ran away.

"Look!" Mikey cheered. "We got 'em on the run!"

"They aren't getting off that easy!" Raph took off after them.

"Raph, wait!" Leo called. "Something's not right!"

"Yeah, you talking!" Raph countered. "While they're getting away!"

Leo, Mikey, Donnie, and Miwa had no choice but to follow the hot-headed turtle as they chased the Foot Clan mutants around the block.

"Why would they attack us and then run away?" Miwa asked.

"Don't know." Donnie shook his head. "But it can't be good."

* * *

Back in the dojo, April's mind wandered a little. She thought back to Miwa's words, "When you get a weapon, we can spar." Splinter had been teaching her katas for a while now, and she was getting better and better with every passing day. She had to; no way was she going to risk the Kraang getting a hold of her. Though, now that she thought about it, April wouldn't mind having a weapon on hand; maybe not in school, but just when she trained or when she was on the streets. Maybe then she could go on patrol with the guys and Miwa. April's focus returned to her Sensei as he helped her practice, punching her and forcing her to block and knock aside his fists.

"Very good." Splinter nodded. "Again."

April sighed a little. "Sensei, not that I don't enjoy running ukkei's six thousand times, but when do I get a weapon?"

"Ah, but April." Splinter told her. "You already possess the konoichi's most powerful weapon: the mind."

"When was the last time you saw someone hit a guy over the head with their mind?" April asked.

Splinter thought for a moment. "True. Let's find you a weapon."

* * *

"This way!" Raph urged, leading everyone into an old warehouse building. But upon entering, they saw no trace of the mutant dog or fish inside. That is, until they revealed themselves.

"All right." Dogpound said. "You got us." But the looks on their faces made the Turtles and Miwa uneasy.

"Why do I get the feeling they know something we don't?" Miwa asked

"This is way too easy." Leo added.

"Why are you always worried?" Raph demanded. Suddenly, a red ring appeared around the group, and black and white walls shot up around them, trapping the Turtles, Miwa, Dogpound, and Fishface inside. "Oh, I see."

"Careful guys." Mikey warned. "This may be a trap."

Miwa rolled her eyes but smiled. _Oh, it is a _really _good thing you're cute._

"_Welcome contestants!" _a voice sounded over an intercom. _"I'm so glad you could join us tonight!"_

"Blister Stockboy!" Leo realized.

"_It's Baxter Stockman!" _the voice snapped. _"I'm your arch nemesis!"_

"I could totally think of five nemesis's way archer than him." Mikey assured.

"_You'll be playing for the ultimate prize: your lives!" _Baxter announced. _"In the all new, family friendly, incredibly deadly Maze of Doom!"_

"He really likes the dramatics, doesn't he?" Miwa groaned. Suddenly blasts rained down from the ceiling, forcing everyone to move and jump to avoid them. Even Dogpound and Fishface had to move when they realized the blasts were meant for them as well.

"You fool!" Fishface shouted. "What are you doing?"

"_I'm sick of you freaks!" _Baxter growled. _"You treat me like dirt! Threaten me! Well Baxter Stockman doesn't make threats."_

"Have you gone mad?" Fishface demanded.

"_Mad?" _Baxter laughed. _"I'm full on mega-crazy!"_

"Karma's really come to bite you in the butt, hasn't it?" Miwa smirked.

"You traitor!" Dogpound snarled at the ceiling.

"_And, even if you make it through my maze alive," _Baxter told them. _"You'll still have to face my Monster of—"_

"Doom?" Leo guessed. "Is it a Monster of Doom?"

"_No!" _Baxter snapped. _"Uh…Monster of…uh….uh….oh the heck with it!"_

Suddenly, the floor opened up under their feet, and the six mutants plus human fell down a large, seemingly endless hole, shouting in surprise all the way until they hit the bottom hard. Miwa, unfortunately, landed right on top of Dogpound and bounced off him, almost becoming impaled by his spikes.

"Sorry kid." Dogpound said.

"No problem." Miwa groaned.

"Where were we?" Dogpound growled, charging for the Turtles.

"Total turtle takedown!" Fishface chimed in as he followed. The battle resumed, until Miwa noticed something bright red and looking white-hot.

"Um, Leo?" Miwa called.

Leo looked around. "What is…?" He noticed the laser pendulums on either side of them, swinging back and forth across the runways. "Uh oh. This can't be good."

Raph looked up as more pendulums fired up. "Watch out!" he suddenly shoved Fishface aside as one pendulum almost took their heads off. "I saved you, why, Calamari Boy?"

"Everyone, I suggest a fight rain check." Leo called.

"Seconded!" Miwa piped up.

"Never!" Dogpound growled. "We do this now!" He slammed his fist down, almost crushing Mikey and Donnie, when he noticed one of the laser blades swinging right towards him. Leo threw a shuriken into the gears, forcing the blade to miss Dogpound's head and instead slice off one of his rock spikes.

Everyone gathered around, staring at the blades surrounding them. "If we keep fighting, we are never gonna get out of here alive." Leo said.

"The exit!" Donnie pointed down the hall. "There!" Everyone noticed the white circle at the end of the hallway, through the pendulums that could slice them all in half with ease.

"Follow me!" Dogpound ordered, shoving past the Turtles. The terrapins had no choice but to follow, Miwa close behind. They leaped and dodged pendulum lasers, narrowly avoiding the hot lasers.

Raph, Leo, and Miwa stopped as a pendulum swung past them. "Leo, you don't think we can trust them, do you?" Raph asked.

"It's our only option." Leo reminded him.

"Well what do we do when they turn on us?" Raph demanded. "Because they _will _turn on us!"

"We'll just have to trust that we'll see it coming first." Leo reasoned.

"We'll be fine." Miwa assured. "Let's not forget: we're _all _trying to get out alive."

* * *

April watched with awe as Splinter held up a staff with a chain and weight attached to one end. He skillfully spun the weight around, swinging the weapon into invisible opponents, and twirling the staff with ease. April's jaw dropped as she gazed at Splinter's skills, clapping in amazement.

"Remember April." Splinter said, handing her the staff. "Your weapon chooses you as much as you choose it."

April nodded and took a step back, just in case she accidently hit Splinter in her movements. She swung the staff, sending the weight flying up and wrapping around the branch of the tree behind her. She yelped when she suddenly started spinning out of control, yanking on the chain but not succeeding in freeing the weapon. She laughed nervously, looking towards her amused Sensei. "I think it chose the tree."

Splinter chuckled and looked around. He pulled out a large mace and handed it to April, who immediately dropped it because of its sheer weight. She pulled and yanked on it, but only succeeded in dragging it across the ground. "Almost got it!" She assured, not wanting to show weakness. But as she lifted the mace over her head and then fell backwards because of it, she couldn't help but wonder if Splinter purposefully handed her the heavy weapon just to see her look foolish.

Next, Splinter handed April something lighter and much more elegant: a pair of sharp kama scythes. She slashed and stabbed, obviously handling them much easier than the other weapons, indicating a smaller hand weapon would suit her better. Splinter nodded in approval, until April swung a kama and it went flying like a boomerang. It came flying back towards her, and she braced herself for steel. But when nothing came, she looked up to see the blade inches from her head, caught between Splinter's fingers.

"Perhaps we should keep looking." Splinter suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." April laughed nervously, handing the kama back to Splinter.

"Have you ever thought about creating your own weapons, as Miwa did?" Splinter asked.

"That probably wouldn't go over well with me." April admitted. "I'm not that creative. Besides, the last time Miwa let me use those claws, I almost stabbed myself in the face."

Splinter nodded in thought. "Maybe something different; something small and hand-held." He picked up a small chain with a weight on one end. "Try this."

* * *

The Turtles, Miwa, Dogpound, and Fishface continued through Stockman's "Maze of Doom", though they didn't run into anything terrible after the laser pendulums. Still, the two different groups couldn't stop glaring at each other. Miwa felt a little caught in the middle; she remained loyal to her brothers, but also felt a little connected to Dogpound. After all, Dogpound truly did care about Miwa when she lived with Shredder and called her Kuro. Chris Bradford was almost an older brother to Kuro, even if they did get on each other's nerves. Even when he mutated into Dogpound, Kuro could still see "her little mutt" as an older brother.

"I have my eye on you, Turtles." Fishface warned.

"Yeah, as if _that's _a threat." Miwa muttered.

The group entered another circular room and Dogpound sniffed the air. "Fresh air! Coming from that direction!" Everyone shared looks.

"Please, after you." Fishface offered graciously.

"No, no, you go ahead." Leo returned. "I insist."

"What's the matter?" Fishface asked. "You don't trust me?"

"If you think we're gonna turn our backs to you, you're nuts." Raph snapped.

"I know!" Mikey suggested. "We go like this: turtle, turtle, jerk, turtle, turtle, jerk, human. Wait, no. Jerk, turtle, jerk, jerk—nah, too many jerks."

"Oh for the love of—" Miwa pushed past Dogpound. "_I'll _go first." She stepped through the doorway and turned back to the boys. "See? There's nothing wrong. Now get your butts over here before I—AAAAHHH!" Miwa shouted as the floor gave out underneath her, sending her sliding down a tube and deeper into the maze.

"Miwa!" Mikey shouted.

"Kid!" Dogpound echoed.

Miwa shouted and yelped as the tube forced her through the darkness and into a small chamber. She shook her head to rid the dizziness and jumped when lights all around her bathed the ninja in a red glow. "Stockman! What is this?"

"_This, my friend, is your doom!" _Baxter's voice called.

"Where are you?" Miwa stood up and banged her shoulder against the walls of the enclosure.

"_Just stay still and this shouldn't hurt a bit." _Baxter assured.

Miwa growled at the ceiling. "You better let me out or so help me—" Suddenly, a white cloud descended from the ceiling, invading Miwa's lungs and making her cough. She felt her brain go fuzzy and her limbs felt like Jell–O. Then, she slumped to the ground and fell unconscious.

* * *

April took the small chain and spun it around, trying to control her movements but extremely worried that she would accidently hit Splinter and knock him unconscious like in a classic cartoon.

"Remember: keep your movement fluid." Splinter instructed.

April focused on her swinging, moving the small weight with as much control as she could. Suddenly, the weight and chain flew from her hand and into the air. She gasped as it slammed into a picture on the wall and sent it crashing to the floor. "Oh, Master Splinter I am so sorry!" She hurriedly picked up the picture and caught a good look at it: black and white, depicting a strong-looking man standing next to a beautiful woman holding a small baby. They looked very regal and proud, like a royal family. April looked up at Splinter and handed him the picture before standing. "Who are they?"

"That is me." Splinter explained, staring at the picture. "My wife, and daughter; before Shredder…." Splinter felt a lump in his throat, unable to continue.

April looked at the picture, mesmerized. She remembered everything Splinter, the boys and Miwa said about Shredder and the man's impact on Splinter's life. "Miwa was so cute when she was a baby. And your wife…..she was so beautiful."

"Yes." Splinter sighed. "Tang Shen was beautiful and kind, just like our daughter. I would imagine she would be very proud; of both Miwa, and you….my child."

April smiled, proud at such a compliment from her father figure. She wished she could have known Tang Shen and she wondered if Miwa missed her; or if she even remembered her mother.

"Which reminds me." Splinter walked towards his room. "Wait here." April stared after him, noting how he still held the picture in his hands. She could only imagine what Splinter had for her, but she hoped it wasn't something that would make her look foolish again.

* * *

Miwa blinked her eyes open and shook her head again. She tried to move, but quickly discovered her arms pinned to her sides and duct tape over her mouth. The rope constricted her ankles as well. She looked all around, but saw only darkness and screens. Sitting in a chair in front of her was a colored man wearing a strange metal helmet, a pink sweater, and jeans. A pair of round glasses rested over his dark brown eyes.

"And I built a science-fair volcano!" Baxter Stockman said. "But with actual molten lava! Burnt down the whole gymnasium!" He laughed at the obviously good memory. "I was expelled. And I vowed revenge on those who wronged me!"

_Oh good grief. _Miwa rolled her eyes. _I hope my brothers are trying to distract him with this and Baxter's not trying to torture them. _Miwa heard a faint _clink _of metal on metal, and she realized her gauntlets were still strapped to her wrists. She knew she couldn't reach the ropes around her torso, but she couldn't just sit there without doing a little damage to Stockman. She made sure he wasn't looking and swung her legs under the chair she was tied to. She unsheathed her claws and they sliced through some of the rope. She sheathed the claws and then let them out again, this time cutting through one of the cords. The uncomfortable position forced Miwa to swing her legs forward again, but she cut through the ropes enough to wiggle her ankles and free her legs. Her ankles immediately became sore, but she ignored it as Baxter turned to her.

"Hey!" Baxter snapped. "What're you doing?" He lunged for Miwa, only for her to sharply kick her leg up and nail him in the jaw. "OW! Ow! Ow! Oh sweet biscuits and gravy the pain! Do you always kick people in the _jaw_?"

* * *

Leo, Donnie, Mikey, and Dogpound paused when they heard Baxter's loud yelling over the intercom. They listened, a couple of them stifling laughs, as Baxter continued to shout.

"_Do you wear steel-toed boots or something?! I think you broke my jaw! Merciful heaven above that hurt so much! If you weren't bait I'd feed you to my Mousers! Oh, I can hardly talk the pain is unbearable!"_

"What the heck _is_ that?" Leo asked.

"Hm, let's think." Mikey said. "Miwa disappeared and is still missing; Stockman is screaming in pain. Why do you think he's screaming in pain and saying things like 'if you weren't bait'?"

"He's got Miwa!" Donnie realized.

"Hang on, kid!" Dogpound shouted. "We'll get you out of there!"

* * *

Baxter glared at the screen. "Oh I don't think so." He pressed another button, and Miwa's eyes widened when she saw panels of the maze floor rise and start shooting lasers at her brothers and Dogpound. Miwa struggled in her seat, but Baxter had moved out of her reach. When she tried to scoot forward, Baxter kicked the chair over. Miwa didn't hit her face, but she growled at Baxter, secretly wishing she could escape and pound his face in.

"Time for the final level." Baxter growled. He pressed a button, and light suddenly flooded the small room. Only it wasn't a small room; it was a circular platform that floated in the air. The screens and keyboards compacted into the platform and Baxter stomped to the edge, glaring down at the mutants who arrived just seconds before. Miwa moved enough to see her brothers, Fishface, and Dogpound, and they noticed her as well.

"Why that little coward." Fishface hissed. "Capturing a friend to lure us into the ultimate trap."

"Guess he didn't expect his damsel in distress to fight back." Raph noted.

"No!" Baxter stomped his foot. "You were supposed to destroy each other, not work together!" He took a breath. "No matter. You may have made it to the end of my maze, but now it's time for—"

"The bonus round?" Mikey asked excitedly.

"Yes." Baxter said sinisterly. "The bonus round…of doom!"

Miwa managed to bring her knees to her mouth and pulled the duct tape off. She heard heavy metallic footsteps. "Hey guys! What's going on down there?"

"Uh, you don't wanna know." Mikey whimpered as he, his brothers, Fishface, and Dogpound stared at the monstrous robot that towered over them.

Baxter stood tall and proud, shouting to the ceiling. "Kneel before the awesome power of my Monster…"

"Of Doom." Everyone droned.

"You all think you're so clever!" Baxter scowled. "Let's see how clever you are when you're hit by my missiles of do….when you're hit by my missiles!" The robot suddenly let loose said missiles, forcing everyone to scatter to avoid them. The robot fired lasers, swung its arms around, launched Mousers at everyone, and let loose a blast that knocked everyone on their tails, all of it controlled by Stockman himself. Miwa tried to move off the platform to help her brothers, but had little to no success.

"How do we stop this thing?" Dogpound asked desperately.

Leo analyzed the situation, noting where Stockman, Miwa, and the robot stood. He called out, "Miwa! Don't move until I give the word!" Miwa nodded, and Leo whispered, "Mikey, Dogpound, draw it under Baxter."

Mikey and Dogpound darted for Baxter, who only raised the platform so high above their heads. "Ha!" Baxter boasted. "Nice try! But you'll have to be faster than that!"

"Anytime now, guys!" Miwa shouted, struggling against her bonds. She pushed herself to the proper position and waited for the signal.

"You who!" Mikey called. "Monster of Doom! We're over here!"

The large robot turned and charged for the mutant dog and turtle, stopping right underneath Stockman's floating platform.

"Kuro, jump!" Dogpound called. Miwa nodded and pushed off, falling backwards towards the ground. Dogpound jumped up and caught to konoichi, tearing her bonds and breaking her free.

"Thanks, Chris." Miwa said with a smile. Dogpound only smiled and nodded.

"Raph, Fishface!" Leo called. "There!"

The mutant fish and turtle shared a look before running off towards the Monster of Doom. Fishface slid to his back and held up his feet for Raph to stand on. "Ready?" Fishface asked.

"Three….." Raph counted down, holding his sais ready. "Two…..one!" Fishface pushed him up to add to his jump, sending him sais first straight into Baxter's platform. He landed softly some feet away while the platform began to spark and jerk.

"No!" Baxter growled. "Stop helping each other!" But his platform plummeted and slammed into his Monster of Doom, causing both to explode in a mix of fire and smoke. Everyone ducked down as wires and bits of metal flew over their heads.

"Not bad, guys." Miwa nodded. "Not bad at all."

"Where's Dexter?" Mikey asked when everyone realized the scientist gone.

"Fools!" Baxter's voice made them look up, and they noticed propeller-like blades that kept him afloat in the air. "You haven't seen the last of Dexter—Baxter Stockman!" He flew off out the window and disappeared into the night, leaving his enemies fuming down below.

"If we never saw him again," Miwa sighed. "It would be nothing short of a miracle."

* * *

April leaned against the wall, waiting patiently for Splinter to emerge from his room with whatever he went in to get. When the doors opened, April looked up to see Splinter emerge, holding something behind his back. When she approached him, he pulled out a rectangular piece of metal.

"I had intended to one day to pass this on to my daughter." Splinter explained, opening the metal to reveal an elegant black fan with the Lotus Clan design. "But I would like _you _to have it."

April stared at the tessen, mesmerized. "It's beautiful."

"Yes." Splinter nodded. "And…." He suddenly threw the fan like a Frisbee, causing it to fly through the air and impale the tree across the room. April stared at it with wide eyes, smiling.

"I think we found my weapon." April said happily, staring at the fan. But her smile shrunk a little. "But…..if that was meant for Miwa, shouldn't she have it?"

"Miwa has fashioned her own weapons." Splinter said. "Created to remind her of why she fights every day. I am sure she would be more than happy for you if you decide to use the fan."

April smiled and bowed to Splinter. "Thank you, Master Splinter. This means more to me than you know."

Splinter smiled and retrieved the fan, closing it and handing it to April. "I know you will use it well. And we can begin your training tomorrow."

April smiled and suddenly wrapped her arms around Splinter's stomach in a tight hug. Splinter jumped a little, but smiled and returned the embrace.

* * *

Dogpound forcefully pulled open the garage door and they all dragged themselves out of the warehouse. The second they reached fresh air, everyone but Miwa collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.

"The truce….is over…." Fishface panted.

"Let's finish…" Dogpound tried to be tough, but his ears drooped. "…..this….."

"Oh brother." Miwa rolled her eyes.

The Turtles tiredly drew their weapons. Mikey came forward first. "Booyaka—" He suddenly went to his knees with a yawn.

"Are you guys really going to start this?" Miwa asked. "It's nearly one a.m. and I think we're _all _tired from Baxter Stockman's Maze of Lunacy."

The mutants shared looks. "Aw, forget it." Dogpound groaned as he and Fishface turned and walked off. "Next time."

The Turtles and Miwa turned and walked the other way, in the direction of the lair. "You know, Raph," Mikey piped up. "You and Fishface actually made a pretty good team back there."

"He's still our enemy, Mikey." Raph said regretfully. "And he'll take us out the first chance he gets." He suddenly paused, frowning. Miwa looked back and noticed the same thing Raph sense, but she let Raph move first: he stabbed his sai straight into the spiked metal ball aimed for Leo's head. "Trust your senses. You'll see 'em coming." Fishface glanced back one last time before he and Dogpound hurried off and disappeared.

"Come on, guys." Miwa said. "Let's go home and sleep." They resumed their steady pace.

"Hey Miwa, I gotta ask you something." Raph said. "Did you hear Dogpound call you 'Kuro' and you ignored it or did you just not hear him?"

Miwa stared at the ground. "I heard him."

"And you didn't correct him?" Donnie asked. "I mean, you don't go by Kuro anymore."

"It's how Dogpound remembers me." Miwa said. "It's how everyone in the Foot probably remembers me. Even Karai."

"But you're not a part of the Foot Clan." Leo reminded her. "Right?"

"I'm on your side, guys." Miwa said firmly. "You're my brothers and I'm willing to protect you from any threat, including ones from the Foot Clan. At the same time, I do still feel a sense of belonging when I'm around the Foot or Shredder."

"Why?" Mikey asked.

"Because I know how to look at things from their point of view." Miwa explained. "I know how to look at their side of the story because I spent fifteen years of my life with them. You guys know the saying: look at the story from all sides."

"So?" Leo asked.

"I don't know." Miwa sighed. "I guess I still feel connected to them because I used to be one of them." She reached into her collar and pulled out her turtle charm; the one with her name on it. "For fifteen years, this was the only connection I had to you guys; I didn't even know it connected me to you in the first place. Whether we like it or not, I'm still connected to the Foot Clan. Shredder was my father and Karai my sister. I can't leave something like that behind. Besides, maybe it could be useful to us."

"Let's hope so." Leo said simply, making the rest of the trip to the lair quiet.

_Indeed, let's hope so. _Miwa thought. _Because Karai is still my sister, whether you guys approve or not._

* * *

**I thought I would try and give Miwa a little "damsel in distress" vibe for some of this. But I think her segment when she kicked Baxter's jaw was pretty funny. I almost couldn't finish writing it because I kept laughing.**


	6. Oneshot: Crushes

**Crushes**

Miwa's pencil furiously scribbled across the notebook paper, focusing on the problem. _x__2__+7x+12…plug into the quadratic equation and it comes out with x equaling this…..so that means x is this….and if I plug it into the original equation…._ Miwa raised her hand hurriedly.

"Yes, Ms. Hamato?" the teacher asked.

"The answers are (-4,-8) and (-3, 0)." Miwa said.

"Very good." The teacher nodded. "Well done, Miwa."

"Smarty pants." April smirked from beside Miwa. Everyone in the classroom looked up at the sound of the bell and started gathering their things.

"Remember your homework tonight." The teacher called as the students left. "You have a test tomorrow!"

"How do you get the answers so easily?" April asked Miwa as they walked out.

Miwa looked up. "Hm? Oh, math just comes easy for me. Oroku started my schooling real early, especially when he realized what a good student I was."

"I see." April nodded. She caught sight of the look in Miwa's eyes. "Hey, are you okay? You've been acting kind of weird lately."

"I'm fine." Miwa shrugged. "Just thinking."

"Something happen on patrol last night?" April asked. "Did the guys crash the…what did Mikey call it? The Shell Raiser?"

Miwa cracked a smile. "Well, the only time they crashed it was through a wall. It's actually about the guy we met."

"Oh yeah." April nodded. "Donnie told me about him. Called himself the Pulverizer?"

"More like the Dork-inator." Miwa sighed.

April cocked her head, noting how Miwa tried to hide her eyes under her short bangs. "Something else is bothering you; what is it?" Miwa looked down, letting her hair fall from behind her ears and hide her face.

"Hey sis!"

Miwa and April looked up to see Karai jog up to them, wearing black skinny jeans, black gladiator heels, and a black long-sleeved shirt under her slivery gray tank top. Her silver bangles jingled as she jogged up. "Hey there. What's up?"

April glared a little at Karai. "We were just on our way home."

"Cool." Karai nodded. "Same here. You guys wanna come over? Maybe work on the math homework a little?"

"No." April said firmly.

Karai frowned a little. "Can I speak to you alone?" she asked Miwa.

"You go on ahead." Miwa assured April. "I'll meet you in front of the school." April glared a little at Karai, but turned on her heel and stomped off.

Karai pulled Miwa off to the side to avoid the mob of kids heading for the doors. "I didn't want your friend to influence your decision when I asked: are you busy on Saturday?"

"Not that I know of." Miwa shrugged.

"Great." Karai said. "Because a little birdy told me that Shredder won't be around all weekend."

"All weekend?" Miwa repeated, blinking in surprise.

"He's going to Japan for a business trip." Karai explained. "You know, Foot Clan stuff, blah, blah, blah. That's _three whole days _that Shredder will be gone. You can come over and we'll have a movie night! Just like the old days!"

"In the old days," Miwa reminded her. "I didn't know mutants even existed; now I have four of them for brothers and one for a father."

"Oh, come on Kuro!" Karai urged. "You don't have to put up this charade anymore! The Turtles trust you now! We can take them down when Shredder's ready!"

"You think I'm still on a mission?" Miwa scoffed. "Karai, even if the Turtles weren't my brothers and Splinter not my father, I still couldn't go to a movie night with you even if I wanted. They'd get suspicious. And April wouldn't keep it a secret because she doesn't trust you."

"You don't know that." Karai insisted. "Besides, you don't have to tell the Turtles you're with that redhead."

Miwa sighed. "Karai, you will always be my sister. But if I am to remain loyal to Splinter then I must remain loyal to my brothers."

"_Are _they your brothers?" Karai raised an eyebrow. "Or are you sticking around with them because of something else?"

"What are you talking about?" Miwa asked.

"I've seen you fight with the Turtles before." Karai admitted. "Just a little surveillance work and I happened to see you guys. I also happened to notice the looks you give to one of the Turtles."

Miwa's cheeks burned. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about _you_ liking one of the Turtles." Karai said with a smirk. "Which one? Is it Leo?"

"I thought Leo was _your _boyfriend." Miwa sassed.

Karai smirked, but Miwa could see the look in Karai's eyes. "Look, if you change your mind about the movie night, just call me." She turned and walked off, all the boys in the hallways staring at her as she walked. Miwa rolled her eyes and jogged off to join April outside. The walk to April's aunt's apartment remained quiet, though. Miwa still wouldn't speak; April didn't push her. But she kept glancing at her friend nervously all the way from the apartments to the lair. April and Miwa joined the guys as they trained for a while and then hung out with them until they had to leave for patrol. April and Miwa remained in the living room, watching TV while Splinter meditated in his room. Haiiro actually decided to play with the girls, chasing a shoelace Miwa trailed back and forth across the ground.

April glanced over at Miwa during a commercial break and noticed the Japanese girl absent-mindedly stroking a sleeping Haiiro's fur. She muted the TV and turned to Miwa. "All right, start talking."

Miwa looked up quizzically. "What?"

"What is wrong with you?" April demanded. "You've been acting weird ever since what happened last night. Did the Kraang hurt you or something? I want to know what happened."

Miwa sighed. "That kid happened."

"The Pulverizer?" April clarified.

"Yeah, him." Miwa huffed. "The entire time he was around me, he kept hitting on me. He didn't stop until Splinter threatened his life if he even looked at me again. It totally disgusted me, but it also got me thinking."

"About what?"

"About the guys. About boys in general. In the Foot Clan, we don't usually have time for dates or boyfriends. But now that I'm here, with my real father and a bunch of brothers, I can do things normal teenagers do. Go to school, hang with friends, and maybe even get a boyfriend."

April's eyes widened. "Miwa, do you have a crush?"

Miwa's cheeks went bright red. "Well…..maybe…."

April gushed. "Oh my gosh! Who is it? Who is it? Come on, you gotta tell me!"

"I will when you stop shaking me." Miwa groaned. April sheepishly let go and laughed. Miwa sighed. "What advice can you give to someone who has a crush on someone else but that someone else is a little on the strange side?"

April's smile disappeared and she raised an eyebrow. "Define 'strange'."

Miwa rubbed the back of her head. "Um…..like, not human strange."

"What do you mean by—" April's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh you like one of the guys! Which one is it? Is it Leo? Or Donnie? Oh jeez, don't tell me you like Raph!"

"April, slow down and breathe!" Miwa ordered, making April shut her mouth. "First off, Leo and I don't necessarily get along; ergo I would never have a crush on him. Second, Raph is nice for a hot head, but I love him as a brother and a brother alone. Thirdly, Donnie is _your _turtle crush, not mine."

"What do you mean, _my _turtle crush?" April laughed.

"Oh don't tell me you don't notice Donnie gushing every time he sees you?" Miwa chuckled.

"I notice." April nodded, her cheeks going pink. "I just….don't know if I should make it official."

"So, you like him too?" Miwa guessed.

"How can I _not _like him?" April blushed. "I love all the guys; but Donnie definitely stands out, especially when he keeps stuttering when he's around me."

Miwa laughed. "Yeah, he's not very good at hiding his emotions. Do you think you'll ever tell him you like him?"

"Maybe someday." April shrugged. "Unless he already knows. But what about you? If you don't have a crush on Leo, Raph, or Donnie, does that mean you like Mikey?"

Miwa tucked her hair behind her ear. "Well, I guess so. He's so cute and nice and funny. And I can have a bit of a temper. Mikey's kind of the calm to my storm."

"Well, you _do _have quite a temper." April laughed. "I remember you threatened that one guy at school for trying to make a move on you."

"Yeah." Miwa sighed. "But Mikey's different. He's a total goofball, but I think it's one of the reasons I like him."

"Does he like you too?" April asked.

Miwa shrugged. "I'm really not sure. He might. He's made a few slip-ups that would hint so, but I really don't know. I wish he would just tell me whether or not he likes me so I can know for sure."

"Miwa, one thing to know about boys is that a lot of them have a hard time talking about what they're really feeling." April told her friend. "You have to be patient; only when your patience has maxed out can you really push for an answer. You have to wait and see because he too might be trying to sort out his feelings."

"You really think so?" Miwa asked.

"Well, you two hang out an awful lot." April pointed out. "Maybe you need some time apart; so you can sort out your feelings and decide if you like each other."

"How?" Miwa asked.

"Spend time with your friends." April shrugged. "Go out for a few days. Take some sort of vacation. Something that will take your mind off things. Or help you focus more."

"There are some slight problems with that." Miwa noted. "For example, the only other friends I have besides you are in the Foot Clan, i.e. Karai."

April glared at the floor. "Good point. You can't hang out with her."

"Why not?" Miwa demanded. "You realized Karai is my sister?"

"She was your _adoptive _sister." April corrected. "And she's part of the Foot Clan."

"_I_ used to be a part of the Foot Clan." Miwa point out. "But now I'm on the Turtles' side."

"Yeah, but you're Splinter's daughter." April protested. "You came over easily. Karai is different."

"She's still my sister." Miwa countered. "She cares about me. And I think she has a thing for Leo."

"Oh please." April rolled her eyes.

"April, believe it or not, Karai _is _my sister." Miwa said. "And I still care about her."

April didn't say anything for a while. "Fine, but let's get back on subject: when are you going to tell Mikey you like him?"

"Why change the subject so fast?" Miwa asked.

"Because you're avoiding it." April smirked. "I'm sure Mikey feels the same way you do."

"You can't possibly know that."

"You won't know until you ask."

"I wouldn't know how to tell him."

"Maybe you just need some time alone."

"Like a date?"

"Yeah."

"When? Where?"

April thought for a moment. "Well, there's always the school dance coming up soon."

"A. It's not for another month." Miwa noted. "B. Everyone's going to flip if they see giant turtles."

"There's always that formula Donnie made that makes them human." April shrugged.

Miwa thought for a moment. "Maybe we should wait until it's close to the dance. For now, maybe we just need some patrolling time alone."

April nodded in thought. "Sounds like a plan."

"Now all I have to worry about is it going wrong." Miwa sighed.

"Hey, they're still your family." April gave her friend a playful shove. "No matter what happens, your family's always there for you. I mean, you guys are always there for me; you're like the brothers and sister I always wanted. And Splinter's a great dad."

Miwa smiled, rubbing the turtle charm around her neck. "Yeah. He is. And it's nice to have siblings."

April cocked her head. "Speak of the devils."

Miwa glanced towards the turnstiles as the boys jumped over them, laughing and talking. They seemed to brighten up even more when they saw the girls and came to join them. As the six of them talked and laughed, Miwa noticed how much warmer the atmosphere seemed. She glanced at each of her brothers in turn, feeling as though she truly belonged with their unusual little family. Having April as a sister made it even better.

_Sister….._

"Hey guys, I gotta make a phone call." Miwa said, pushing herself to her feet and walking towards the kitchen.

"Will you make some popcorn while you're in there?" Mikey called. "Mr. Murakami loaned us some of his Japanese animes and we're gonna have a movie night tonight!"

Miwa nodded with a laugh and pushed through the curtain to the kitchen. She rummaged around in the cabinets for a minute before finding the microwavable popcorn and tossing it in the microwave. While it popped, she pulled out her cell phone and typed in some numbers. She put it to her ear and looked around to make sure no one was around to hear.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey sis."

"_Hey. How's it going?"_

"Fine. Hey, are you sure Saki's not going to be around at _all _this weekend?"

"_Positive. He'll be halfway around the world. Why?"_

"What movies are we watching this weekend?"

* * *

**A/N: What do you think? It's just a little one-shot I wrote out so that you all had something to read between episode chapters. I'll have "Enemy of My Enemy" up as soon as I can. I just gotta organize how Miwa's going to fit in there. I already know how it's going to end, and you guys are gonna love it!**


	7. Oneshot: Past and Present

**Past and Present**

_Kuro gently smoothed out the skirt of her dress, making sure it was free of wrinkles and creases. She took in her appearance: the dress was short sleeved and navy blue with a sparkly top and a rhinestone belt; her shoes were sparkly silver ballet flats; her dark black hair cascaded down her back with a small tiara resting in it. She looked up at her father and took in his appearance: a black business suit, maroon dress shirt, and a black tie; black leather dress shoes to match; his bald head and scarred right side of his face with the blind eye, from an accident some years ago. _

_They rode the limo in silence, sitting up straight and looking professional._

Miwa straightened out her clothes, making sure they fit snugly yet loosely so that they wouldn't hinder her movement. She took in her appearance: black pants and long-sleeved shirt, complete with black cloth shoes to make it a full ninja outfit; a black belt around her waist that held a myriad of items such as kunai, shuriken, her cell phone, and even a tessen; small gauntlets on her wrists, spiky with a set of claws that could be sheathed and unsheathed; her dark black hair pulled back in a braid with her turtle charm around her neck. She looked up at her father and took in his appearance: maroon robes with the Lotus Clan symbol on the back, bandages around his arms and hands for training; brown and black fur, whiskers, and a long, thin beard from a mutation many years ago.

They sparred in the dojo in silence, standing in strong stances and striking powerfully.

_They arrived at the dinner party at a large skyscraper in Tokyo. Kuro took her father's hand and they walked side-by-side into the building and up the elevator to the large dining hall. As they walked inside, they passed other businessmen and businesswomen, many of them joined by their own daughters and sons. All of the adults dressed in suits and their children wore nice dresses and suits. Kuro looked around at the other girls in the room, noting how they would glance and her and then start whispering. Her dark brown eyes lowered to the floor and she held her father's hand tighter._

"_Ah, Oroku-sama." One of the businessmen greeted with a bow. "Glad you could make it. And who is _this _little flower?"_

"_This is my daughter." Oroku Saki introduced. "Oroku Kuro."_

"_I see." The businessman bent down and smiled at Kuro. "And how old are you, Kuro-chan?"_

"_I'll be eight in a week." Kuro said._

When the sparring session was finished, they bowed to each other and journeyed off to the living room. As they walked inside, they noticed the boys and April sitting around, watching TV or sparring a little. They greeted the pair as they came in and sat down with the others. A couple hours later, they had dinner, and then an hour later they were gearing up for patrol.

"Come on, guys!" Mikey called.

"Right behind you!" Leo laughed.

Miwa was the last to leave, tying her mask around her eyes. She turned and bowed to her father. "Ittekimasu, Otōsan."

"Be safe, my child." Splinter bowed back. Miwa nodded and ran off to join her brothers.

"How old is Miwa, anyway?" April asked.

"Fifteen, I would think." Splinter said. "Her birthday was just a few months ago."

_Kuro stared at her plate, pushing her food back and forth a little with her chopsticks. She couldn't wait for the dinner to be over so she could go home with her father. The children sitting around her laughed and talked, but not to her. She didn't care anyway; though there _was _that little voice inside her that said she wanted to fit in. Finally, the business people at the adult table stood from their seats and made their way towards the children, who also stood up and wandered towards their parents._

_Oroku Saki approached his daughter, noting her troubled look. "What troubles you, my daughter?"_

_Kuro looked up with a small, forced smile. "Nothing, my father."_

Miwa ran alongside her brothers as they journeyed across the rooftops, performing acrobatic feats as they did. They stayed silent as shadows, just as ninjas should, yet Miwa felt a little distracted. She glanced at her brothers, noticing how happy and carefree they looked and she smiled along with them.

Then, Miwa noticed a familiar building and she paused. She stared off into the distance and stared at the old church building about a block away. She knew that right behind those walls was Shredder, no doubt plotting yet another attempt on the Turtles and Splinter to destroy them. Though she knew how dangerous Shredder could be, Miwa felt…longing….a strange desire to return to Shredder. She knew Splinter was her true father, but she somehow found it hard to fully push Shredder aside, seeing how he once raised her as his own. For years, she called him "Father" with such a tender voice; she thought that would be pushed aside when she discovered he killed her mother.

So why couldn't she push it away?

Mikey jumped down and landed beside Miwa. "What's wrong, Miwa?"

Miwa looked up with a small, forced smile. "Nothing, Mikey."

_Kuro blinked her eyes open when she heard the car door slam shut. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, lifting her head from her father's shoulder she had used for a pillow. Oroku readjusted the grip he had on his daughter as he carried her inside their home, gently setting her down on the floor and nudging her towards her room._

"_Go get changed, Kuro." Oroku ordered softly. "You should sleep soon."_

"_Yes, Otōsan." Kuro nodded tiredly._

Miwa rubbed her eyes from tiredness as she and the boys trudged back into the lair. A usual night of patrolling plus a small scuffle with some Foot Ninjas left them all more tired than usual. So they trudged off to their bedrooms, all of them dragging their feet. But Miwa wandered into the kitchen, searching for the teabags.

"Miwa." Splinter's voice sounded behind her. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for the chai tea." Miwa yawned. "I need to stay awake; I have to—"

"Go change and get ready for bed." Splinter finished for her, steering his daughter towards her room. "It's nearly your bedtime."

"Hai, Sensei." Miwa sighed.

_Oroku glanced at the clock on the wall. 9 o'clock p.m. _A little training before I retire. _He immediately went to change into a black gi and returned to his personal dojo to train. He punched and kicked at invisible opponents, imagining that they fell with every strike. His greatest pleasure was imagining that Hamato Yoshi stood before him: looking ready to fight but easily falling to Oroku's strikes._

"_Otōsan?"_

_Oroku turned to see Kuro standing in the doorway, dressed in her beautiful white nightgown with the lace on the collar, hem, and the sleeves. Oroku couldn't help but see Tang Shen in the eight-year-old before him._

"_What is it?" Oroku asked._

Splinter breathed calmly as he meditated, allowing his thoughts to settle. The incense in front of him floated up to the leaves of the tree above his head. The sweet scents of cherry blossoms made Splinter feel as though he were home, in Japan. He could remember sitting with Tang Shen in their home, cradling their baby daughter between them. It was a wonderful memory that Splinter liked to bring up when the depression from losing his wife returned.

"Daddy?"

Splinter opened his eyes and turned to see Miwa standing in the entryway of the dojo, dressed in her green pajama pants with the shamrocks and green soccer jersey. Splinter couldn't help but see Tang Shen in the fifteen-year-old before him.

"What is it?" Splinter asked.

_Kuro looked a little nervous. "I couldn't sleep. I keep having bad dreams."_

Miwa looked down. "I couldn't sleep. Nothing I do makes me tired."

_Oroku nodded in thought and sat cross-legged on the floor, gesturing for Kuro to approach him. The small child walked up and sat in Oroku's lap, fiddling with her nightgown skirt. "What can I do to help? Would you like a story?"_

Splinter nodded in thought and gestured for Miwa to approach him. The teenager walked up and sat beside her father, allowing him to gently wrap an arm around her shoulders. "What can I do to help? Would you like a lullaby?"

_Kuro shook her head small. She stared up at her father with her sparkling brown eyes. "Tell me about my mommy."_

Miwa shook her head small. She stared up at her father with her sparkling brown eyes. "Tell me about my mother."

_Oroku smiled softly. "I met her years ago, when she and I were only children."_

Splinter smiled softly. "I met her years ago, when she and I were only children."

* * *

**A/N: SO SO sorry I didn't update faster! You guys would not **_**believe **_**the stress I'm going through and how busy I am. I hardly have time to update, much less write. I'm going to update as fast as I can this weekend, I promise. I'm going to update "Many Homes, Many Families, One Heart" after this.**


	8. Enemy of My Enemy

**Enemy of my Enemy**

Miwa paced a little across the rooftop, fingering the kunai in her hand. She glanced around at her brothers, as though to make sure she wasn't alone up there. Raph stood with his arms crossed and that permanent frown on his face. Mikey sat cross-legged on the ground, playing a game on his phone. Donnie stared at his T-phone, typing in things and pushing buttons now and then. Leo stared through a telescope at the TCRI building many blocks away.

Miwa sighed. "Anything, Leo?"

"Nothing happening at TCRI." Leo reported.

"Yet." Donnie corrected.

"This game is awesome!" Mikey sighed, staring at his T-phone screen. "The combat is so realistic!"

Raph marched up to his baby brother and glared down at him. "Well you want me to make it _more _realistic?"

"Guys!" Leo snapped. "Stop messing around!"

"According to the Kraang storage device that I decrypted," Donnie explained. "Some kind of scouting ship is coming through the Kraang portal tonight."

"Scouting ship?" Miwa asked. "What would they need a scouting ship for? They know their mission; they've certainly spent enough time on Earth to iron out the details."

"They didn't count on spilling mutagen on a human and his four pet turtles." Donnie noted with a smirk. "Now that they know we're a threat, they won't stop until we're eliminated."

"So we all have to stay alert." Leo said, looking right at Mikey as he continued to play his game.

"Yeah, you never know what could sneak up on ya."

Everyone looked up to the small tower beside them to see a familiar figure standing on top, tall and proud. She leaped up, flipped in the air, and landed softly on the ground mere feet from the Turtles, standing with her hand on her sword and smirking.

Leo laughed mockingly. "Cute, Karai. But I'm not in the mood." Karai still smirked, even when she drew her tantō sword and swiped it at Leo. The blue-masked turtle drew his katanas and blocked her attacks, jumping back and away from her. "We don't have time for this. Guys!"

Mikey, Donnie, and Raph drew their weapons. Mikey called, "Booyakasha!" as they charged for Karai, only for the konoichi to block Donnie's staff, jump up onto his shell, and kick off him, landing a safe distance away.

"'Booyakasha'?" Karai laughed, resting her blade on her shoulder. "What does that even _mean_?"

"I don't know." Mikey shrugged. "But it's fun to yell!" He threw his kusarigama chain towards Karai, but she grabbed the chain and yanked him forward, kicking him aside when he got close enough. She raised her blade to stop Leo's attack, smiling craftily as her golden brown eyes locked with Leo's ocean blue ones.

"You really know how to make a girl feel welcome." Karai sassed. They pushed apart, and Leo glared at her. But Karai held her smirk. "I heard the scrawny one mention the Kraang. What's going on?"

"None of your business!" Leo snapped, running back into battle.

"And I'm not scrawny!" Donnie added as he and the others joined in the battle.

Karai jumped over Mikey, Leo, and Donnie and ended up clashing blades with Raph and Miwa. She easily knocked Raph aside and held up her tantō to block Miwa's attacks. "Why little Kuro! What a nice surprise."

"Knock it off, Karai!" Miwa snapped, pushing her sister back a few feet. "We seriously don't have time for this right now, so why don't you just go back and tell Shredder we're a bit busy to worry about his lunacy?"

"Aw, come on; let me in on the fun!" Karai pleaded teasingly.

"Look, we're a little busy trying to stop the beginning of an alien invasion here!" Raph yelled. "So do us a favor and get lost!"

Karai's smile disappeared. "An alien invasion? Are you serious?"

"Yes, we're serious!" Miwa snapped. "Now please get out of here before—" Suddenly, she noticed a pinkish-purple light shining on Karai's face, and everyone turned towards the TCRI building as a set of double doors opened near the roof. Something large and round emerged from the doors, sleek and silver and glowing with those same pinkish-purple lights that only came from the Kraang. Three tentacle-like things waved around on the bottom and it had a sort of eye-like bulb on the front. It floated through the air, straight for the ninjas as they stared in shock.

"This can't be good." Leo noted. Even Karai looked shocked, maybe even afraid, as the giant "scouting ship" Donnie mentioned earlier came right for them.

"Um, guys?" Mikey gulped. "I think I need to change my shell."

The ship slowed down a little, but it didn't stop its advance. A Kraang's robot voice came from inside, over a sort of speaker. _"The ones who are called Turtles have been detected by the scanner which scans for turtles. They are knowing too much of Kraang's plan. Attack."_

"Oh brilliant." Miwa groaned as they started backing up.

"I hope you have a plan for fighting that thing." Karai said.

Leo scoffed nervously. "Of course I do. Step one…." The ship suddenly fired a sort of pink lightning bolt at the group. "Run!" They took off across the rooftops, the Kraang ship in hot pursuit. They jumped when the ship fired at them again, the shockwave making their jumps higher. They scurried down a fire escape to street level and continued their run while the Kraang ship scanned the area for them.

"What the heck was that?" Karai panted as they ran.

"I don't know." Leo admitted. "But off the top of my head, I'd say they use it for flying and shooting at things."

"Things like us!" Miwa added, sprinting past them. "Now move it!" She darted ahead into the streets for a moment before finding another alley and ducking around a corner, blending into the shadows. She listened for the Kraang ship and pulled out a kunai. She didn't know what she could hit with a small knife, but she might just get its attention and draw it away from her brothers. She heard the ship coming, but she also heard panting and hurried footsteps. She sheathed her kunai and suddenly reached out, snatching Karai's arm and pulling her into the alley. They pressed themselves again the graffiti-covered wall, watching the Kraang scan the area. Seconds later, a commotion arose down the street, indicating the Kraang found the Turtles again.

"I gotta help them." Miwa started out, but Karai grabbed her and held her back.

"Are you crazy?" Karai demanded. "That thing will kill you!"

Miwa jerked her hand free and pushed Karai a little farther into the shadows. "Karai, you listen good and well. You have to get out of here. Stay away from the Kraang. They're dangerous."

"So is the Shredder, but the Turtles aren't afraid of _him_." Karai noted.

"Because Shredder's vendetta doesn't involve mutating everyone on the planet and then taking it over!" Miwa snapped. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, we will talk about this more later. I'll meet you in our usual spot, okay?"

"Kuro, you can't take on the Kraang alone." Karai protested. "I know the threat now, and I bet you anything the Foot Clan can help!"

"I highly doubt the guys will want help, especially from the Foot Clan." Miwa countered. "Moreover, how do you know Shredder will even agree to help?"

"Because I'm sure Shredder understands the idea of staying alive!" Karai snapped.

Miwa opened her mouth to snap back, but she noticed flashing lights and heard police sirens. "We'll talk later, all right? Just stay out of our way and stay away from the Kraang." She turned and hurried off, leaving Karai in the shadows, and slipped down into a manhole before anyone could notice. She sighed and untied her mask from her eyes, wrapping it in its usual place around her wrist. She steadily made her way through the sewers, towards the lair where her brothers and father most likely waited.

She allowed her thoughts to drift back to Karai and Shredder. Karai, Dogpound, and Xever continued to call her "Kuro", despite no longer going by that name. Or did she? After all she wouldn't correct them. For fifteen years, she went by the name of "Kuro" and lived as a Foot Ninja. So it was natural that she goes by that name and even responds to it. Sometimes, Miwa wondered what would happen if she never left the Foot Clan; if she decided to kill Splinter when she had the chance. But she knew for a fact that wasn't possible. After all, it was far too late for that now. Unless Leo continued to harass her about her past with the Shredder and Karai. Leo never liked that Miwa once worked for the Foot. In fact, whenever they fought (which happened more often than not) he _always _brought up her past as Kuro.

It got old fast.

Miwa took a breath to calm herself, realizing her fists clenched during her thoughts. She rounded the corner and jumped over the turnstiles, listening to her brothers talk.

"So what are we waiting for?" Raph demanded. "Let's load up the Shellraiser and challenge that thing to a rematch!"

"You want to take that hunk of metal and pit it against an alien spaceship?" Miwa scoffed as she approached. "What are you going to do? Shoot a bunch of garbage at it?"

"That's not even our biggest concern." Leo noted. "First, we need a way to find a ship that invisible!"

_Yes, Leo, I'm all right. Thanks for asking. _Miwa huffed, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. But Mikey looked genuinely concerned, so she flashed him an assuring smile that let him know she was fine. He looked much more relieved, smiling broadly as usual.

"I know!" Raph said in a voice that dripped with sarcasm. "How about we shoot into the air till we hit it?"

"That doesn't sound too smart." Leo said.

"Yeah Raph." Mikey smirked. "Not too smart, buddy." He yelped when Raph held up a fist threateningly.

"Actually, Raph's got something there." Donnie admitted.

"Yeah, Leo." Mikey said. "Raph's got something there."

"Did you hit your head on the way down here?" Miwa asked.

"But instead of shooting objects," Donnie clarified. "We'll shoot waves of electromagnetic radiation. In other words: radar. I've built some radar beacons we can set up around town. If the ship gets near us, I'll get an alarm on my T-phone."

"Good work, Donnie." Leo complimented. "Come on, guys. Let's split up and place those beacons."

"I'll take the west side." Miwa offered.

"Mikey!" Leo snapped as his younger brother hung back.

"Loosen your kneepads, Leo!" Mikey called as he followed his siblings.

* * *

Miwa hooked the metal strainer with the blinking light—er, the beacon, to the grate of the air vent, making sure it stayed secure. When she felt satisfied, she nodded curtly and dialed Donnie. "Beacons installed and ready to go."

"_Great." _Donnie said over the speaker. _"I'll check in with Leo and meet you guys back at the lair. Raph and Mikey should be about done by now."_

"Copy that." Miwa said. "See you guys at home." She hung up and tucked her phone away into her pocket. "Karai should be here any moment now." She looked around, thinking she would spot her sister leaping across the buildings. But for a few minutes, not a soul could be seen; not even Leo as he set up a beacon a couple buildings down. "Come on, Karai, where are you?" Suddenly, the sound of metal clashing with metal reached Miwa's sensitive ears, and she spun around to the source. "Leo." She realized, darting towards her brother. She passed the beacon Leo recently set up and unsheathed her gauntlet claws, ready to fight.

"I want to help you fight the Kraang."

Miwa skidded to a halt and ducked down behind a vent. _Karai? _She slowly peered around and noticed Leo….talking to Karai. _What the…?_

"Really?" Leo asked, sheathing his swords. He scoffed. "No, of course not. We're enemies, you wanna destroy us, you're loyal to Shredder…..should I keep going?"

"Look, if the Kraang win we don't have a planet anymore." Karai reasoned. "That makes our little fight seem pretty pointless, doesn't it?"

"I doubt Shredder would agree." Leo said.

"Shredder is stubborn and short-sighted he drives me crazy!" Karai snapped. "His stupid vendetta is going to take us _all _down. He may not be able to see that, but I know _you _do. What do you say? Work together for now?" She held out a hand for Leo to take.

However, Leo only hardened his gaze. "Sorry, sister." He leaped backwards and disappeared, leaving Karai alone on the roof. She sighed, shaking her head and turning to walk back home. But when she looked up, she jumped and nearly ran into Miwa standing behind her.

Karai sighed in relief. "Don't do that to me, Kuro. You'll give me a heart attack."

"What are you doing?" Miwa demanded.

"What?" Karai asked.

"Making an alliance with the Turtles?" Miwa said. "Are you out of your mind? For one thing, the guys will never trust you. For another thing, what on earth makes you think this is a good idea? What is running through that head of yours?"

"How much of my and Leo's conversation did you hear?" Karai asked.

"Kind of all of it."

"Then you know my reasoning. And it makes sense, right? Kraang win equals all of us probably dead or enslaved."

Miwa groaned. "Karai, you've had some crazy ideas before, but this is just flat-out mental. Think about what would happen if anyone found out. What if Splinter found out? What if _Shredder _found out?"

"Shredder won't find out and neither will Splinter." Karai assured. "Because you and I are going to keep this between us."

Miwa smirked wryly. "I guess we are good at that. But you have to admit this is dangerous. It's bad enough that Leo's grilling me about my involvement with the Foot Clan. If any of them find out that we're meeting once a week, they'll flip out. We're not supposed to be seen together when we're not fighting."

Karai's smile shrunk. "Kuro, why can't you just come home? Come back where you belong?"

"Karai, you know why I can't do that." Miwa said.

"Because you, for some bizarre reason, feel a connection to the Turtles?" Karai snapped.

"Here's a better reason: because Shredder would kill me!" Miwa snapped back. "I stabbed that guy and then threw him out a window! You think he's going to accept me back in two seconds?" Karai looked down. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Look, I gotta go. The guys and I have to deal with a crazy Kraang ship trying to kill us." She turned and started for the edge of the building.

"Kuro." Karai called. "You may not believe this, but I'm not the only one that misses you. There are others who worry about you."

Miwa didn't even turn around as she rolled her eyes. "Like who? Bradford?"

"No. Like Shredder."

Miwa's eyes widened and she spun around, only to see Karai disappeared.

* * *

Miwa easily blocked April's attacks as the redhead practiced with a determined glare in her eyes. She struck hard and fast; had Miwa not been more skilled in ninjutsu, April might've taken her to the ground. Of course, April had every right to be training as hard as she did now. Ever since they found out it was April the Kraang were after and not her father, Splinter insisted that her training time increased so she could protect herself topside. Frankly, April had a hard time refusing. As the girls practiced, they listened to the boys talk to Splinter about Karai's proposal last night. Miwa had yet to tell them she heard.

"I know we shouldn't trust Karai." Leo admitted. "But still….I got the sense she _really is _fed up with Shredder."

"That's probably just what she _wants _you to think." Raph said.

"I know!" Leo stumbled a little over his words. "But…Sensei, is there _any _chance she's for real?"

"It is possible." Splinter agreed. "Loyalties have been known to shift. But the konoichi's trained to use deception to her advantage."

"So she either will or won't betray us?" Leo guessed.

"Correct." Splinter nodded. "You must trust your instincts, but beware the trap of believing something to be true simply because you wish it to be so."

"So I should trust my instincts unless my instincts are wrong." Leo said.

"Correct." Splinter said simply before walking off.

Leo sighed. "Thanks, Sensei."

"Whoa." Mikey breathed. "You know it's good advice when you're still confused afterwards."

"Guys, seriously." Raph said. "An alliance with Karai? No way! Why are we even talking about this?"

"It's too bad we can't trust her." Donnie admitted. "It would be nice to have a konoichi on our side."

"Um, hello?" April said as she and Miwa approached them. "What about me?"

"And me?" Miwa added. "What are we? Chopped sui?"

"No, I mean a _real _konoichi." Donnie realized his mistake and his eyes went wide. "I mean not that you're not a real one, just that Karai is better. I mean, no—not better just more experienced! I-is is it hot in here?"

"It's okay." April assured. "I get it. She's your mortal enemy but hey! She's purty!" She frowned at Donnie.

"No she's not!" Donnie assured. "You're _way _prettier! Not that I think you're pretty! I mean, I mean….you're not ugly…it's just that I—" Raph suddenly slapped a hand over Donnie's mouth and dragged him away, the poor turtle's protests muffled all the way.

"Don't fight it." Raph said. "You'll thank me later."

Miwa shook her head. "I think we should trust Karai. Just this once."

"Why?" Mikey asked.

"For three reasons." Miwa counted them off her fingers. "One, she understands the threat of the Kraang and she's obviously willing to help. Two, she has…..methods; methods that could be useful for us. Three, and most importantly, there's a giant Kraang ship out there trying to fry your shells and, though I hate to admit it, I'm going to need some help keeping your shells intact."

"You?" Leo scoffed. "Why so protective? And more importantly, what makes you think Karai would help protect us?"

"She certainly wouldn't do it willingly." Miwa shrugged. "But she'd be willing to fight the Kraang."

"Why don't we focus on the situation right now?" Leo suggested. "Let's load up the Shellraiser and get out there."

Miwa huffed, blowing her bangs from her face.

* * *

Miwa leaped across buildings, her quickened pace sending her flying like an Olympic runner. Her feet hardly touched the ground as she sprinted, keeping her eyes on the skies on the off chance the Kraang ship revealed itself. She stopped at the corner, looking around but seeing nothing. She pulled out her phone.

"Hey Donnie, how's it going?" Miwa asked.

"_Nothing on our end."_ Donnie reported. _"But we're keeping an eye out."_

"No luck on my end either." Miwa shook her head. "But I'll keep searching and let you know if—"

"_Uh, scratch that!" _Donnie's voice said quickly. _"We just found it!"_

"Where are you?"

"_Houston. Hurry!"_

"I'll be there as soon as I can!" Miwa hung up quickly and darted off towards Houston. She could only hope the guys had the fire power to at least hold the ship off until she could get there and slice through the wiring. Suddenly, the sound of a motor reached Miwa's ears, and she turned just as someone scooped her up and plopped her down on a soft seat. She instinctively grabbed the driver as the motorcycle she sat on sped forward, somehow jumping across the buildings as they drove.

"Need a ride?" the rider asked, turning and smirking at Miwa.

"Karai?" Miwa gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Helping!" Karai called over the wind. "Where's this giant Kraang ship?"

"Give me _one _good reason I should trust you!" Miwa snapped.

Karai pulled the brake and they skidded to a halt. "Because if you don't, I'll keep you here and your 'brothers' will get fried."

Miwa glared at Karai, but she finally sighed through her nose. "Are you sure you truly want to help?"

"Yes." Karai said truthfully. "Listen, I'm not that happy about working with the Turtles; Shredder will murder me if he finds out. But I actually _do _care about the fate of our planet at the hands of an evil race of aliens."

Miwa glared determinedly. "The ship was last seen on Houston. Let's go."

"Hang on." Karai revved her motorcycle and sped off. Within minutes, the two girls heard the familiar blasts and _whir _of the Kraang ship.

"There!" Miwa called, pointing to the top of the ship peeking over the edge of a building. "In the alley!"

"What kind of idiot drives right into an alley and corners himself?" Karai demanded.

"They're teenage boys." Miwa reminded her. "What do you expect?"

"All right, get ready!" Karai called, turning her bike towards the Kraang ship. "We're going to do something crazy!"

"Again, what do you expect?" Miwa said, a crafty smirk on her face.

Karai drove right for the ship. She and Miwa stood up on the seat as they got closer and jumped off with twin battle cries as the bike flew off the edge of the building. They landed right on the Kraang ship, unsheathing their respective blades and stabbing them into the metal. They continued to swipe and stab at the metal, even when the Kraang ship suddenly turned and flew off. Miwa and Karai were forced to hang on to rather than attack the ship as it jerked and swerved, diving and rising, trying to knock the two konoichi off.

"This…is…..so….not…fun!" Karai grunted as she stabbed at the Kraang ship.

"No….duh!" Miwa snapped, mimicking her sister. She stabbed her claws into the metal just as the Kraang ship suddenly turned upside down and made a sharp, 90 degree turn, throwing Karai off it. "Karai!" Miwa lunged for her, but her claws remained stuck in the metal and she stayed in the air. She pushed her feet against the metal and yanked her claws free. When she looked down towards Karai, she saw Leo driving the stealth bike with Karai in his lap, having just caught her. _Way to go, Leo. _Miwa nodded. But she jumped when the Kraang ship started firing towards Leo and Karai again.

"Kuro!" Karai shouted, rattling Leo's eardrums. "Jump!"

"What?" Leo turned and noticed Miwa up on the ship. "Oh great. Come on! Get down here!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Miwa demanded.

"Get down here now!" Leo shouted.

"Oh stuff it, Leo!" Miwa took a kunai, wrenched up a panel of the ship, and stabbed the small black knife into the wiring. The Kraang ship started jerking and sparking, giving Miwa the opportunity to jump down and land on the stealth bike. "Miss me?"

"Just get in." Leo growled, pulling Miwa onto Karai's lap and pulling the covering over the three of them.

"Dude it's dark and cramped in here!" Miwa complained.

"Not now, Miwa!" Leo snapped.

* * *

It was quiet in the Shellraiser as Raph, Donnie, and Mikey waited for Leo to return. They all wondered what might happen when their brother arrived, most likely with their sworn enemy in tow. Minutes later, the hatch to the stealth bike opened, revealing their blue-clad brother, konoichi sister, and sworn enemy.

"We're back." Leo announced as he, Karai, and Miwa climbed out of the bike.

"You brought her inside?!" Raph snapped. "Dude! She'll see all our gear!"

Karai stood and looked around the odd subway car with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, 'cause if Shredder finds out you have an ice cream lamp, it is _over._"

Raph growled, but Leo spoke before he could. "Karai just risked her life to save us. And she helped Miwa find us. She's earned a little trust. Let's hear her out."

"You're the boss." Raph huffed.

"Guys, come on." Miwa encouraged. "Just hear her out." She turned to her sister. "Karai?"

Karai crossed her arms, closing her eyes in thought for a moment before speaking. "You guys need my help. You really think you can shoot down an alien warship with garbage?"

"Compressed garbage!" Donnie corrected.

"And manhole covers!" Mikey added.

"My point is, to take out a ship like that you need a real weapon." Karai said.

"Oh yeah?" Raph scoffed. "Like what?"

Karai stared at him. "What if I got you a shoulder fired missile launcher?"

Raph blinked. "I'm startin' to like her."

"Where are _you _gonna get a shoulder fired missile launcher?" Donnie demanded.

"Shredder of course." Karai said simply.

"Uh, we're talking about the same Shredder, right?" Mikey asked. "Big dude? Lots of blades? Really hates us?"

"Yeah something tells me he's not gonna wanna share his toys with us." Raph pointed out.

"He won't know about it." Karai assured. "He's buying a big shipment of weapons at the docks tomorrow night. All we need to do is sneak in and help ourselves."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Miwa nodded.

"Anyone else smell a trap?" Raph asked skeptically.

"Sorry, that was me." Mikey said sheepishly.

"Why would I trap you?" Karai demanded. "You're the only ones who know what the Kraang are up to."

"True." Donnie nodded. "But you don't really have the best track record."

"Fine, I'll get you the missile launcher myself." Karai sighed.

The guys exchanged looks. "You're really willing to steal from Shredder?" Leo asked.

"Look, these things _have _to be stopped." Karai insisted. "If Shredder's not gonna do anything about it, then _I _will. With your help or without it."

"Not without mine." Miwa assured. "I can help keep an eye on things and get the missile launcher out of there without Shredder noticing. Ease the suspicion."

Leo stared at Karai for a long time. He looked to Donnie and Mikey, who nodded small. He looked to Raph, who raised his hands in a gesture that clearly said "Don't care." Miwa…Miwa looked ready for action, ready to fight by Karai's side. _They're like konoichi twins. _Leo noted. _A deadly combination._

"All right, here's the deal." Leo told Karai. "You and Miwa get us the missile launcher, and we'll team up."

Karai didn't say anything. She and Leo shared a smirk and they shook on it.

Miwa stared at the shake for a moment. _I hope you all know what you're doing. All I can do is prevent my sister and brothers from getting killed. _She sighed silently. _Man, my life is complicated._

* * *

Miwa tried to meditate peacefully, but every time she closed her eyes she saw Shredder in front of her. He didn't attack her or threaten her or look like he would kill her family. In fact, it looked like a memory of when Miwa was a child, called Kuro by the Shredder and being treated like a princess so she would never be sad. Back then, Miwa only wanted to be in her father's company; that was all she needed to be happy. Then she met the Turtles and Splinter and found out her true past.

Still…

"Hey sis."

Miwa opened her eyes and turned her head as Karai approached her. "Hey."

Karai gestured to the spot on the edge of the building, beside Miwa. "This spot taken?" Miwa shook her head and Karai said down, staring out at the landscape. The smoky gray clouds in the sky blocked the late afternoon sun, making the air colder than normal. Karai sighed. "Kinda cold today."

Miwa shrugged. "You learn to live through it."

"Says the girl who _hates _the cold." Karai pointed out. "I remember the blanket I got you for Christmas one year. It was the softest I could find in all of downtown Tokyo, and you wouldn't let it go until it got so muddy Shredder insisted you have it washed."

Miwa smirked softly. "Yeah. I remember that. I also remember the wooden chisa katana I got _you _for that same Christmas and when I tried to borrow it you almost sliced my head off with Shredder's gauntlets."

Karai laughed. She sighed. "I miss these times. When we could be alone; talk about our feelings; you know, like how normal sisters act."

"Normal sisters aren't trained by a great ninjutsu master." Miwa pointed out.

"You think Shredder's a great master?" Karai raised an eyebrow.

"Despite everything the guys say about him," Miwa said. "Oroku Saki is truly a great and highly skilled martial artist. Nobody can really deny that."

"True." Karai nodded in thought. The two girls remained silent for a while. "Kuro, why don't you come home? Come back to your family? Besides, I need a sparring partner that doesn't get knocked out in two seconds."

Miwa smiled a little. "Karai, I can't go back."

"But the guys—"

"It's not about the guys. It's about Shredder. I betrayed him; I outwardly attacked and wounded him. In fact, I almost killed him. If I went back, he wouldn't accept me. He might kill me. Believe me, I've seriously considered going back. After all, the Foot Clan was my home for fifteen years; it was a big decision to leave. But I have a family with the Turtles and Splinter. At the same time, I get the feeling I still have a family with the Foot."

"What makes you say that?" Karai asked.

"Just…dreams I have." Miwa shrugged. "Memories resurfacing when I sleep. Every time they do, it's always the time when we were together in Japan, hanging out like a family."

Karai nodded in understanding. "I remember those times; when we didn't have to worry about training or Father's work or…the fact that we didn't have a mother."

Miwa stared at the ground. "Yeah. But you know, back then, we almost didn't need a mom; Shredder was enough of a parent for us."

"If you really think that way, why don't you come back?" Karai asked.

"It's not that easy." Miwa sighed.

"Why not?" Karai demanded.

"Because….." Miwa hung her head. "Karai, I want to have both of my families, but I don't know how. Leo and the guys will never accept it; and if Splinter found out...I'm being forced to choose between my two families and I don't want to do that. The problem is I don't know how to have both and be happy."

Karai sighed. "Kuro—" They jumped a little when Karai's phone rang. She groaned and answered. "Yes? Now? Are you kidding? Ugh, fine. I'm on my way." She hung up and pinched the bridge of her nose. "The shipment's arrived."

"I'll call the guys." Miwa offered.

"Why?" Karai asked. "They didn't want to come."

"True." Miwa nodded. "I guess I wanted to try my luck and see if they would change their mind." She stood and brushed her pants off. "Let's go."

* * *

Karai stared down from the giant metal cargo boxes at the supposedly Russian man on the dock below. She looked to her father beside her, who nodded in confirmation. Karai leaped up and landed on the roof of the man's car, startling him enough so that he turned around and gave Shredder the chance to jump down and land softly behind him.

"Where is the shipment?" Shredder demanded, causing the man to turn and face him.

The man straightened out his tie. "You brought what I requested?"

Shredder turned and nodded to one of the two Foot Ninja beside him, who walked up to the man with a briefcase. He opened it, but Karai couldn't see the case's contents because of the burly man blocking her line of sight. Before she could crane her neck to see, the ninja closed the case. _Darn. Oh well, time to move on. _"I'll inspect the merchandise." She offered, climbing down from the car and moving towards the large crates nearby.

The man moved to get in his car, but the second Foot Ninja stopped him. The man smiled, albeit worriedly. "Don't you trust me?" He asked Shredder. "We're old friends."

"Then you won't mind keeping me company while she checks." Shredder countered darkly.

Karai smirked. _Smart one, Daddy Dearest. _She opened one of the crates and looked inside, lifting up one of the missile launcher and inspecting it. _Perfect firepower._

"Yeesh, what a gun."

Karai looked up and smiled. "How long have you been there?"

"I followed you here, remember?" Miwa whispered. She wrinkled her nose at the sight of the missile launcher. "Ugh, do we _really _have to use this?"

"Still don't like guns?" Karai guessed.

"You know how I am." Miwa reminded her. "Guns take no skill to use compared to a sword or even a bow. Just good aim."

Karai nodded in agreement. "True. But it's the only way to take down that Kraang ship."

"Yeah." Miwa said, but her mind and eyes wandered.

Karai followed her sister's gaze to Shredder, his back still to them as he stared at the man before him. Karai looked back to Miwa. "Something wrong?"

Miwa bit her lower lip in thought. "Karai, does Shredder really miss me?"

"Yes, he does." Karai assured. "I know it."

"How?" Miwa demanded.

"Because he's been sending Foot Ninja to find you!" Karai lowered her voice. "He has us keep an eye out for you whenever we're out. He even changed his big plans: find and destroy the Turtles and Splinter…..and bring his daughter home."

Miwa's eyes widened. "He changed his vendetta to include finding me?"

"He wants you home." Karai insisted. "We _all _want you home."

Miwa sighed. "Karai, I would love to come home and have a sister again and all of that. But—" She noticed Karai turn suddenly with a frown. "What is it?"

"They're here." Karai breathed.

Miwa followed Karai's gaze to see her brothers on some of the shipping crates some feet down the dock. "What are they doing here?"

Karai looked towards Shredder, and it clicked in her head. "You didn't tell me your brothers were liars."

Miwa soon caught on. "Oh no. Karai, I know they wouldn't do that; they're good—"

Suddenly, the guys let loose whatever was in their slingshot, and Karai had to run to push Shredder from the line of fire. "Look out!" The ball-like object hit the car, sending out electricity that shocked the Russian man and the two Foot Ninja into unconsciousness.

"You idiots!" Miwa groaned, face palming. She jumped when Karai suddenly took up the missile launcher and fired it at the guys, missing them by inches as they jumped to avoid it. "Are you crazy?"

"They lied to us." Karai growled. "They deserved that."

"Isn't blasting them with a missile launcher because of a little lie kind of….overkill?" Miwa asked.

"You're not taking their side, are you?" Karai asked.

"Of course not; they're idiots for doing something like that." Miwa said. "But I just think—" Her eyes widened when she looked up and caught sight of the Kraang ship flying in. Karai saw it as well and took a step back, forcing Miwa to shrink into the shadows. "Great. Just great! Can this get any worse?"

"Don't see how." Karai shrugged. "Considering the Kraang ship and our father are both chasing the Turtles right now."

"What?!" Miwa jumped from behind the corner just as the Turtles disappeared in the maze of shipping crates, Shredder and the Kraang ship following them. "I have to help them!"

Karai grabbed Miwa's arm and stopped her. "Why? They lied to us. They deserve to be skewered by Shredder."

Miwa jerked her arm free. "I'll remember that; after I save their shells, I'll turn them into Turtle Soup. But if they die, it'll be by _my _hand, not Shredder's!" She darted off down the maze-like corridors, searching for her brothers and adoptive father. She jumped off, ricocheted off the crates a few times, and landed on top of them before darting off again. She spied Shredder jumping up on top of a crate and jumping down again and she hurried after him, staying up where she could see everything. When she finally caught up, she knelt down on the edge of the crates and looked down at the scene below. She was three crates high in the air, with her brothers cornered in a box-shaped area with only one way in and out….and Shredder stood in their way.

"Tell me where Splinter is and I'll let you live long enough to watch him perish." Shredder threatened.

_What kind of a deal is that? _Miwa rolled her eyes. She looked up to see the Kraang ship had found the Turtles as well, and jumped when it fired a blast towards them. The shockwave knocked the guys back on their shells and Shredder was forced to open a crate and dive inside to avoid the blast. The ship flew off, allowing Leo to run over and lock the crate door and trap Shredder inside.

"Come on!" Leo called, darting off down the maze. His brothers tried to follow, but Shredder's blades suddenly sliced through the metal of the crate, cutting through the lock and allowing Shredder to kick the door open. He stepped out and turned to glare at the three turtles left.

"We'll catch up to you later!" Donnie called after Leo. He, Raph, and Mikey drew their weapons just as Shredder lunged for them. Miwa glanced back and forth between the fight below and the direction Leo ran off.

"Oh great." Miwa groaned, sitting back so no one could see her. "Uh…..what do I do? Help Leo? Help the guys? Help Leo? Help the guys?" Miwa thought for a moment. "Help the guys; definitely help the guys." She peered over the edge of the crate. "But do I help them or Shredder?!" She groaned and face palmed. "Why is _my _life so complicated and I'm not even a mutant?!" She shouted in surprise when the Kraang ship suddenly swooped past her, knocking her backwards to the edge of the crate. She waved her arms frantically, trying to regain her balance. But the tread on her cloth shoes had worn out and only made her slip off the edge. She screamed in shock as she tumbled back into open air….only to be caught in a pair of strong arms. She sighed in relief and looked up to thank whoever caught her—

"Shredder?" Miwa breathed.

Shredder looked up and glared at Donnie, Raph, and Mikey as they stood ready to fight again. Without taking his eyes off them, Shredder gently set Miwa on the ground behind him. "Stay here." He ordered gently before stepping towards the turtles. "Prepare to know why they call me the Shredder." He growled, unsheathing his large gauntlet blades. The boys readied their weapons, glaring determinedly. Miwa glanced worriedly past Shredder to stare at the guys, somehow unable to move from her spot while Shredder lunged for the Turtles. He swiped his blades, forcing them to jump back. Donnie used his staff to pole vault over Shredder's head and rush to Miwa, only for Shredder to grab him by the shell and yank him back to his original position. Mikey swung his kusarigama, but Shredder caught the nunchaku and pulled Mikey forward, right into Shredder's rock hard punch. Mikey hit his brothers and they tumbled backwards and down the corridor.

"Stop!" Miwa called, grabbing Shredder's wrist.

Shredder gently pushed Miwa down so she crouched behind a corner. "Stay here and stay down. I'll be back for you later."

"Miwa, help us!" Raph snapped as he ran forward. But Shredder kicked his shell and he went flying backwards. Shredder dashed towards the three turtles as the fight continued, leaving Miwa at the corner. She stayed frozen in the spot, shocked by what Shredder just did.

He helped her. He saved her from falling to her death (or paralysis) and then had her hide with the promise that he would be back later. And he spoke with such sincerity and gentleness…a tone he hadn't used since Miwa was young. _Karai was right. _Miwa realized. _Shredder….wants me back. _She stared down the corridor at Oroku Saki as he continued to fight the Turtles. _I guess he really did love me like his own. After all, he loved my mother just as much as Splinter did. And how many times have Shredder _and _Splinter compared me to my mom? To Saki, I was his only connection to the woman he loved. _Miwa looked down as she was hit with her epiphany. "He still loves me."

Raph grunted as his shell skidded across the dock. He somersaulted and landed on his feet, jumping up and glaring down at the crates. Donnie and Mikey landed on either side of him. They looked up suddenly when Shredder landed hard on a crate nearby, glaring at them through his helmet. The four of them jumped away when the Kraang ship returned, almost knocking Shredder off the crate. Raph, Donnie, and Mikey watched as Leo took aim with what they assumed was the missile launcher and fired, causing the missile to fly up after the Kraang ship as it futilely tried to fly away from the projectile. One large explosion later, the Kraang ship was spiraling out of the sky.

"All right Leo!" Mikey cheered.

"Great." Donnie gulped. "Except…" The three of them turned as Shredder stood to face them once more.

"Oh right." Raph growled, twirling his sais. The terrapins were about to leap for Shredder when the sound of metal craping against wood met their eardrums, and they spun around to see the broken Kraang ship skidding right towards them. "Heads up, guys!" Raph called, urging his brothers into action as they leaped from the ship's path. Shredder glared determinedly and held up his gauntlet claws in an X, ready to block it because he knew he wouldn't be able to jump away in time.

Something suddenly collided with Shredder, shoving him aside and off the crate.

Right before Shredder fell backwards off the crate, things seemed to happen in slow motion. Shredder looked up and his nearly black eyes locked with Miwa's dark brown ones. She stared at him with a wide, worried expression on her face, as though confused but relieved by what she just did. Time went back to normal speed and Shredder fell backwards into the harbor below. The Kraang ship slammed into Miwa and her visions instantly became clouded in darkness as she hit the water and began sinking.

"Miwa!" Mikey shouted, lunging for the girl. But Raph and Donnie reluctantly held him back.

"Father!" Karai shouted. She glared at Leo for a moment before running past him and leaping off the roof, diving into the harbor after Shredder. Leo only glared after her, a frown on his lips, and sheathed his katana. For a while, he stared at the waves, but neither Karai nor Shredder resurfaced…..neither did Miwa. Leo looked back and noticed his brothers on the edge of the roof. The four of them shared a solemn stare before they leaped off the roof and hurried into the city.

They ran. They ran and ran and ran until the skies darkened and the stars came out. They never looked back; whenever Mikey did, his eyes welled up with tears and he had to wipe them away so he wouldn't be blinded. They didn't stop until they were far, far away from the docks. When they did, they panted a little as they stood on a rooftop, trying to gather their thoughts.

Donnie looked up and noticed Leo walk some feet away and sit down, cross-legged, on the ground. He walked up and smiled softly at his brother. "Leo, it's not that bad." Donnie assured. "You blew up the Kraang ship!"

Leo scoffed. "But I also blew our chance to get Karai on our side."

"Look, she's Shredder's daughter." Raph reminded him. "His blood. She was never gonna be on our side."

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Leo sighed. But his tone sounded more and more hurt. "Maybe I was just believing what I wanted to."

Mikey sighed. "I've been there, dude. For me, it was leprechauns."

Leo deadpanned. Though Donnie and Raph tried to warn him, he asked Mikey, "Are you seriously comparing what I am going through to the time you found out leprechauns aren't real?"

Mikey's eyes widened. "Leprechauns aren't real?!"

Raph sighed. "Mikey, that's not important right now. Come on, let's get home. I'm beat."

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Donnie asked.

"What's that?" Mikey asked.

"Miwa." Donnie said solemnly.

Leo face palmed and groaned. "Oh no! Miwa! Oh great! What are we gonna tell Splinter? He's gonna murder us when he finds out!"

"It's not like _we _killed her!" Raph protested.

"But we were responsible for her!" Leo protested.

"It doesn't matter!" Mikey snapped. "The fact that we just lost her is going to be a blow as it is. For him and us…" He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists.

Donnie put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "Mikey, whatever we tell Splinter, we'll tell him together. We can't lie to him."

The four of them exchanged looks before sadly making their way home.

* * *

Karai gasped as she broke the surface of the harbor, using all her strength to pull herself and her precious cargo up onto the docks. She stayed by Shredder's side as he coughed and spit up water, breathing deeply to cool his burning lungs. _I haven't done any diving like that in far too long. _Shredder berated himself. _Remember your training you baka.* _He looked up at Karai. _And be thankful you have such loyal daughters. _"Well done, Karai." Shredder said.

Karai looked down at the form beside Shredder and her eyes widened. "Kuro!" She knelt beside her sister and rolled the soaking wet konoichi to her back. "Is she…?"

"She should be fine." Shredder assured. "But no doubt she has a concussion from the blow she took."

Karai put her ear to her sister's mouth and heard the soft breaths; she pressed her hand against the sopping wet girl's chest and felt her strong, steady heartbeat. "She's alive. But we need to get her help."

"Of course." Shredder nodded. "By the way, I found something for you." Karai looked up in surprise as Shredder lifted up one of the Kraang aliens by its tentacles also sopping wet. _Now I know why he was under for so long. _"You always wanted a pet." Shredder said, though his cruel gaze remained totally focused on the Kraang as it squealed and snarled.

* * *

Miwa groaned as she slowly began to wake up. She felt something cool and damp being placed over her forehead, and it came as a relief to her ever aching head. She felt someone's fingers gently, lovingly, graze her cheek. _Dad? Did you follow me and the guys? _But when she blinked her eyes open, she discovered the scarred face of Shredder.

Miwa jumped upright with a scream, leaping to her feet so she stood on the bed she once rested on. However, her head began to spin and she started falling. Shredder caught her and gently helped her sit down on the edge of the bed.

"You shouldn't move so quickly, Kuro." Shredder advised. "You have a concussion."

Miwa growled and jerked away from Shredder, standing and stepping away from him. Her dizziness made her wobble, but she kept stepping from Shredder. "Stay away from me."

"You need to lie down." Shredder said. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine." Miwa said. "Just—" She felt her stomach lurch and she suddenly went to her knees. Karai walked through the door just in time, pushing a pot under Miwa's mouth as bile came up and out.

"Easy now, Kuro." Karai soothed, placing a comforting hand on her sister's back. "You really shouldn't move too fast."

Miwa could hardly argue as Karai and Shredder helped her to the bed. She still held the pot, seeing how her stomach felt terrible. She threw up again, a little less than last time, and groaned.

"Just rest, my child." Shredder said soothingly, coaxing Kuro to lie down. He gently brushed her bangs from her face, like he used to when Kuro was a young child and became sick in bed.

"You're going to be okay." Karai promised.

Shredder smiled softly, gently pulling the thick comforter over Kuro. "Finally, my daughter, you are home."

Kuro could only smile softly and allow sleep to consume her in a comforting embrace.

* * *

**A/N: "Baka" is Japanese for "fool". Sorry for the late update.**


	9. Monkey Brains

**A/N: Going slightly off-track here to fulfill a request by ****keller75863548274483**** to put Miwa in "Monkey Brains". Same origins story, I guess. It's mainly just a "what would happen if Miwa were here" kind of thing.**

**Also, to scarletfireblaze and anyone else hooked on the whole "Karai is actually Miwa" theory, I'm going to point something out: Karai is an original character from the old series and comic books, and she was the adoptive daughter to the Shredder. Eventually, I'll give a better explanation in a chapter. But for now, Karai is not Miwa. Not to totally bag on the current theory, but that's just not how my story is going.**

* * *

**Monkey Brains**

Miwa stared at the large poster, cocking her head in confusion. The large flow chart was colorful, detailed, and so hard to follow only someone like Donnie could follow it. He designed it, after all. She glanced at the title, "Masterplan: Hang with April" and rolled her eyes with a smile. _Typical Donnie. _She shook her head. _Always making things complicated. _Leo, Raph, and Mikey quietly snuck up behind Donnie to watch him work for a minute. The purple-masked turtle was too engrossed in his work to notice.

"Whatcha up to, Donnie?" Leo asked, making Donnie jump.

Donnie sighed. "Just putting the finishing touches on my master plan."

"Master plan?" Raph asked.

"Yeah." Donnie said, finishing a line. "To get April to hang out with me." His brothers laughed at him, but he just continued to draw lines. Miwa giggled a little, rolling her eyes.

"Try this." Leo offered. "'April, do you want to hang out with me?'"

"See, it's not that simple." Donnie insisted. "I have to prepare for every possible response to maximize my chances of success."

"Aw." Mikey sighed. "That's so romantic."

"Donnie, you know April's like my sister, right?" Miwa pointed out. "I could hook you guys up or something."

"Trust me, Miwa." Donnie assure, taping his poster to a board. "This will work much better."

"Sure." Miwa shook her head. _I can't decide if this is pitiful or adorable._

"Now, for instance," Donnie explained, pointing to his plan. "If April says she can't because she has homework, then I will suggest an informal study session and serve healthy, brain-stimulating snacks."

"Well what if she says she can't because you're a total nerd?" Raph teased.

"Ah, that's this thread here." Donnie pointed. "I will list my many non-nerdy qualities and suggest activities that will highlight my coolness such as skateboarding or shark wrestling."

"Guys!" April called, jogging in quickly.

Donnie shouted in surprise and quickly flipped over his plan so April wouldn't see, leaning against it in a futile attempt to look cool. "H-hey April." He greeted nervously. _Smooth move, Don. _Miwa shook her head.

"You guys gotta check this out." April opened up her laptop and clicked on a video. Everyone gathered around to see.

"_Renowned neurochemist Dr. Tyler Rockwell has been reported missing." _A reporter announced. _"I spoke with Dr. Rockwell's colleague Dr. Victor Falco."_

"_I hadn't heard from him in days, so I stopped by his lab." _Dr. Falco explained. _"The place was a mess. He was gone. I fear the worst."_

"_Police say they have—" _April shut her laptop.

"So?" Raph asked.

"So, the Kraang have been kidnapping scientists from all over the city." April explained. "Including my dad. Maybe that's what happened to this Rockwell guy."

"Or they may not be connected at all." Leo noted.

"There's only one way to find out." April determined. "We should go to that lab and look around."

"April's right." Donnie said. "We _should _go check it out. What's that? You guys are busy? Guess it's just the two of us April." Donnie put an arm around her shoulders and led her off, turning to wink at the guys with a happy smile before disappearing.

Leo scoffed. "I bet _that_ wasn't on his flow chart." He laughed, glancing at Donnie's board. Then, he paused. "Whoa. It is! _That _is spooky."

"He really is a genius, isn't he?" Miwa said.

* * *

April and Donnie peered through the door window to Rockwell's lab, carefully looking around for anyone inside. Upon finding no one, they knelt down to inspect the lock. Donnie pulled out a strange metal device with a microchip attached and stuck it through the card slot in the door. Seconds later, it unlocked and opened.

"There isn't an electronic lock out there my digital lock pick can't crack." Donnie said proudly.

"Smooth." April agreed. Donnie only smiled proudly, nearly giddy with joy at April's compliment. The redhead pulled out a flashlight and led the way as they journeyed into the lab, quietly shutting the door behind them. April shined her flashlight everywhere: at the beakers on the counter, the destroyed ceiling tiles, the overturned tables, the scattered lab supplies, the papers strewn about the floor.

"Wow." Donnie whispered. "This place is a wreck."

April turned to the cages in the walls, paying particular attention to the one with the broken door. "Ugh. They must've been experimenting on animals." When she turned again, her light hit something a little out of place: a large metal chair, complete with wristbands on the armrests for holding someone down.

"Either someone was up to some secret research or they were renting space to one freaky dentist." Donnie breathed.

"Talk about scary."

April and Donnie spun around with a scream, but someone's hands covered their mouths. April's flashlight hit the face of a teenage girl with black hair, fair skin, and a dark green mask over her dark brown eyes.

"Would you put a sock in it?" Miwa hissed. "Someone might hear you! And get that flashlight out of my face!"

April lowered her flashlight a little and Miwa lowered her hands. "What are you doing here?" Donnie demanded.

"I followed you from the lair." Miwa explained. "I wanted to check the place out."

"Why follow us?" April groaned as she moved past the ninja. "You could've let us know you were coming instead of scaring us."

Donnie glared at his sister in the darkness, knowing full well she had come to spy on him. Miwa only smirked, sticking out her tongue. They followed April over to Rockwell's desk, shifting through papers and looking through the drawers. Donnie opened the bottom drawer and noticed a strange glow coming from inside. He found a hole in the bottom of the drawer and lifted it up, allowing more of the blue light to shine through. Miwa and April looked in and the latter picked up the source of the light: a canister of the Kraang's mutagen.

"Mutagen?" Donnie stared at the canister.

"What would Rockwell be doing with mutagen?" Miwa wondered aloud.

April noticed a shadow and her eyes widened. "Donnie! Look out!"

Donnie turned just as a man swung a golf club towards him, blocking it skillfully with his bō and twisting it around, slamming the man to the floor. April hurried over to the light switch and flipped it on to reveal the man Donnie pinned to the ground: Caucasian, with dark hair turning white and dark blue eyes.

"Dr. Falco!" April realized.

Falco shouted in surprise at the sight of Donnie. "What are you?"

"Relax." Donnie assured. "I'm not gonna hurt ya."

"You already hurt me!" Falco snapped.

Donnie stood up. "I mean…anymore."

"We're here to help." April assured. Donnie pulled the scientist to his feet and Falco dusted himself off.

"We heard about what happened to Dr. Rockwell." Miwa explained. "We think that we know what happened to him."

"You do?" Falco asked, sitting at the desk.

"We think so." April said. "Scientists are being kidnapped all over the city, including my dad. Do you think that's what happened to Rockwell?"

"You wouldn't happen to _know _a Dr. Kirby O'Neil, would you?" Miwa added.

"I'm sorry; I wish I knew something about your father." Falco shook his head. "But I don't."

"So, what can you tell us about this?" Donnie asked, holding up the mutagen canister.

"Some shady corporate goon paid Rockwell a lot of money to experiment with it." Falco explained.

April pulled up a picture of the Kraang's human form and showed it to Falco. "This the guy?"

"That's him." Falco confirmed.

"The Kraang." Donnie breathed.

"Good call, Donnie." Miwa nodded.

"Well, I wanted no part of that stuff." Falco said. "Who knows what kind of monstrosities could result? No offense."

"Some taken." Donnie admitted.

"Is that what was in that cage over there?" April asked. "One of his 'monstrosities'?"

"Can we ease up on the 'M' word, please?" Donnie requested.

"That's where he kept the monkey he was experimenting on." Falco said.

"Whoa." Donnie breathed. "It sure didn't like being locked up in there."

"Rockwell didn't treat it very well." Falco sighed.

"Maybe the Kraang didn't take Rockwell." April guessed. "Maybe the monkey went berserk, busted out of the cage and dragged him off. Or worse."

Miwa inspected the cage. "I don't suppose you know what species the monkey was?"

"No." Falco shook his head. "Rockwell and I sort of didn't speak during his experiments; he forbade me to enter his lab."

"Why do you ask?" Donnie asked Miwa.

Miwa stared at the cage, paying special attention to the door. "No reason."

* * *

"So, how do you suppose we're gonna find Rockwell without any leads?" April asked as they walked home.

"It's not like we can find a hound dog or something." Miwa laughed.

"Well, maybe we'll know more once we have a look at his flash drive." Donnie suggested.

"What flash drive?" April asked.

"The one I swiped off his desk." Donnie held up said flash drive proudly.

"Nice." April commented.

Miwa stopped walking and looked around. She heard something growl, then briefly noticed a shadow swing past. "Um, guys?"

"Come on, Miwa." Donnie called. "Let's get going."

Miwa jogged to keep up with her brother and April. "I thought I saw something."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." Donnie said, earning him a look from his sister. But he turned to April and didn't even notice. "Keeping cool under pressure is the hallmark of a—" The three of them yelped when something large and hairy landed in their path. They stared in shock and fear as a large monkey, most likely the one Rockwell had been experimenting on, roared in their faces, his gleaming white teeth glinting in the streetlights. Donnie pushed April and Miwa behind him and drew his staff. The monkey continued to roar and snarl at the turtle.

"Careful, Donnie!" April called. "That's a dangerous mutant!"

"That makes two of us!" Donnie assured, twirling his staff and leaping into battle. However, he didn't even lay an attack on the monkey before the latter kicked his stomach and sent him flying back to the girls. The monkey grabbed his staff, sniffed it, and then tossed it aside.

"Donnie!" April called. "Are you okay?"

"I'm good." Donnie assured, his voice strained. He ran into battle once more.

"You want any help?" Miwa asked.

"I got it!" Donnie called.

"But Donnie—" Miwa and April winced and gasped as the monkey suddenly started pounding the turtle mercilessly, punching him repeatedly while Donnie just yelped.

"Donnie?" April called worriedly.

"I was just figuring out his timing." Donnie assured. "He is gonna regret—!" He yelped when the monkey's fist met his face, his stomach, his chest, and his head again and again as the monkey resumed its violent attacks.

"Shouldn't you help him?" April asked Miwa.

"I'm not fighting that crazy ape!" Miwa refused. "Besides, this is kind of entertaining." April glared at her friend, who only held up her hands defensively. "What?"

The two of them winced and shouted in surprise as the monkey suddenly jumped on top of Donnie, slamming his fists into the turtle a few times before throwing the terrapin back to them. April rushed to his side as Miwa held her claws ready, glaring at the advancing monkey. The primate, however, was quick to grab Miwa and throw her into a dumpster.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Miwa groaned from in the metal bin.

April looked up worriedly as the monkey angrily approached her. She backed up slowly, but the monkey suddenly grabbed her shoulders and roared in her face, making her wince. Then, she locked eyes with the monkey, and it stopped snarling. In fact, it looked about as scared as she did. April stared into the monkey's eyes, gently placing her small hands over the top of his ginormous ones.

"It's okay." April soothed. "Everything's going to be all right."

The monkey stared at the teen for a moment before gently releasing her. Still, he looked troubled.

"What?" April asked. "What is it?"

The monkey didn't answer; he just roared loudly before jumping up the fire escape and disappearing over the rooftops. Miwa, having lifted the dumpster lid in time to see April calm the monkey down, could only stare after him along with her friend. "Okay…" Miwa grunted as she climbed from the dumpster. "That was weird."

"Too weird." April breathed.

"Then again, for two girls who hang out with mutants all day," Miwa smirked. "I'd say is just another day in our lives."

April smiled, but it soon disappeared when she remembered a certain turtle. "Donnie!" She and Miwa ran to kneel beside him. "Are you hurt?"

"Just my pride." Donnie assured. "And my internal organs."

* * *

Donnie moaned in pain as Miwa and April supported him all the way to the lair. They carefully stepped through the turnstiles and slowly mad their way towards the pit. Leo, Mikey, and Raph looked up and their eyes widened when they saw their wounded brother.

"Whoa, what happened?" Raph asked.

"Donnie got beat up by a lab monkey." April reported.

The guys shared worried looks before Leo took Donnie's arm and slung it over his shoulders. "April, can you get an ice pack? Miwa, get the first aid kit."

Miwa and April nodded and hurried off to the kitchen. Miwa noticed Donnie's laptop and pulled it over to her, typing in the password easily. April raised an eyebrow. "How do you know Donnie's laptop password?"

"Wild guess." Miwa said simply, though in reality it took her two tries to type in the right password: "April and Donnie forever", no spaces. She pulled up the internet and started typing things.

April pulled out an ice pack from the freezer. "What are you looking at?"

"The report on Rockwell's disappearance." Miwa replied. "I want to hear Falco's statement again."

"Let's worry about that later." April said. "We'll do more research when we analyze the flash drive from Rockwell's office."

Miwa sighed, but obeyed and closed the laptop. They journeyed back into the main room to find the guys cracking up laughing while poor Donnie lay on the couches, looking embarrassed and irritated. April sat on the couch and put Donnie's head in her lap, pressing the ice pack to his head.

"Are you laughing at him because he's hurt?" April demanded.

"No." Mikey said. "We were laughing because was hurt by a monkey!" He fell backwards laughing, Leo and Raph joining in.

Miwa rolled her eyes and checked over Donnie's wounds, but found most to be only bruises. "If you guys must know, this lab monkey is more vicious than you think. He was taller than Donnie. And his strength is outstanding."

"You fought him too?" Leo asked when he finally calmed down.

"Yeah." Miwa nodded. "He attacked me, grabbed me, and then proceeded to throw me into a dumpster. This is no laughing matter; this monkey was being experimented on by Rockwell and from what I've seen, he pumped that thing full of steroids."

The boys exchanged looks. "All right, so the monkey's dangerous." Raph admitted. "What now?"

"April and I will do some research." Miwa said. "Donnie swiped a flash drive from Rockwell's desk and we're going to do a little digging."

"You gonna be okay, Donnie?" Leo asked.

"I'll be fine." Donnie groaned, pushing himself to his feet and trudging off.

"Take it easy on him." April told the guys. "Getting beat up by that monkey really took its toll on him."

"Fine." Raph shrugged. "But we're not gonna let him live this down for very long."

April and Miwa only rolled their eyes and pulled out their laptops. April started looking through the thumb drive, scanning the documents and making mental notes. Miwa looked over occasionally and made notes on her own computer. But she focused on her own research, looking through web pages and images.

"Guys, I think I found something." April reported about half an hour later. The Turtles gathered around her and Miwa. "These notes are hard to follow, but it looks like Rockwell was able to modify the mutagen."

"Why would he do that?" Leo asked.

"He thought he could use it to make a neurochemical that would temporarily give someone psychic abilities." April explained.

"You mean that monkey was psychic?" Raph asked.

"It's more like he was reading our emotions." April corrected. "After all, he was only hostile when Donnie and Miwa were hostile."

"That's true." Miwa confirmed. "He fought back when Donnie and I did, but when he went for April he looked about as scared as she was."

"Yeah, well next time I'll be sure to think happy thoughts while I'm beating a little sunshine into him." Donnie huffed.

"Okay, we need to track him down before he attacks someone else." Leo announced. "Let's go up to the surface, spread out, and search."

"How are we gonna stay in contact?" Raph asked.

"I have a little something that might help." Donnie said proudly, standing from his spot on the couch. "Gentlemen, and ladies, I give you…..the T-phone!" He held out a shell-shaped, phone-like object, complete with a touchpad screen and tiny speakers.

"Dude, _I'm _in charge of naming stuff!" Mikey complained. "I would've called it 'the T-phone'."

"I _did _call it the T-phone." Donnie said.

"Yeah, but _I _would've called it the T-phone." Mikey whined, only to earn a slap on the head from Raph.

"And April," Donnie said, holding out the T-phone. "If you give me your cell number I can patch you into our network."

"Sweet." April took the phone and started punching in the numbers.

"See that?" Donnie whispered happily. "I got her number!"

"Her number's on the fridge you dork." Raph snapped.

Mikey leaned over to see Miwa's laptop screen. "Whatcha doin', Miwa?"

"Trying to find the species of monkey we're dealing with." Miwa replied, focused on her computer.

"Why?" Donnie asked.

"Because it's bugging me." Miwa said. "You saw the bars on that cage in Rockwell's office; they were thick, at least a few inches in diameter. It would take a lot of brute strength to bend and break them the way this monkey did."

"What's your point?" Raph asked.

Miwa sighed. "Look, based on what I saw and fought with this monkey, we're dealing with something that has the strength and size of an adult male gorilla. But the monkey's appearance matches the description of some sort of chimpanzee. What I want to know is why? What kind of monkey is this?"

"I still don't see how this affects our battle plan for capturing the monkey and finding Rockwell." Leo said.

Miwa sighed again. "Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. I don't really know. I can't explain it. All I know is that there has to be more to this monkey than we understand."

"Let's worry about that after we find the monkey and Rockwell." Leo said. "Come on!"

Miwa stared at her screen a moment before following her siblings and April out into the sewers and up to the surface.

* * *

"Guys, someone just spotted the monkey on Bleaker."

"I think I'm on his trail."

"Mikey, the monkey is headed your way!"

"I got eyes on him! He's headed south on Delancy!"

"I'm on Houston! I'll cut him off!"

Miwa really wished she could shut off her phone so she could concentrate. But it wasn't easy for any of them to track the monkey; it seemed to bounce around all over the place. Miwa stayed mostly on the ground, leaving the rooftop runs to Leo, Raph, and Donnie while she, April, and Mikey stayed ground level. Suddenly, a brown furry mass shot past her, forcing her to make a hairpin turn to follow.

"It changed directions!" Leo reported.

"I'm right behind it!" Miwa called into her phone. "Somebody cut it off!"

"Mikey, the monkey is headed your way!" Leo called. "Help Miwa catch it!"

"I'm on it!" Mikey's voice called. Miwa turned her head just long enough to see Mikey coming in on his skateboard, skating several feet behind her. She resumed her focus on the monkey, the distance between them shortening. Mikey pulled out his kusarigama and threw the weighted end towards the monkey, only for the weight to wrap around a lamppost instead. Mikey's eyes widened as he crashed into Miwa and sent the two of them slamming into the lamppost.

"Nice going, Mikey." Miwa groaned.

"Sorry." Mikey said. He pushed himself to his feet and pulled Miwa up. "Come on." He urged, pulling her up onto his shell and jumping on his skateboard. They shot across the streets, listening for their brothers' reports or the monkey's screeching.

"Heads up!" Miwa shouted.

Mikey swerved a little as the monkey nearly crashed into him. Miwa jumped down and took off after the monkey, Mikey close behind. But the monkey rounded a corner and disappeared, leaving the Turtles, Miwa, and April to run into each other.

"Anybody see where he went?" Leo asked.

"I thought he headed off in that direction." Donnie said.

"I thought it was _that _way." Raph protested.

April and Miwa turned and walked off a ways as the boys bickered. "What do you think?" Miwa asked April.

The redhead scanned the area before her eyes fell upon a dumpster. "Cover me."

Miwa nodded and unsheathed her claws, staying close by April's side as they journeyed over to the dumpster. She lifted the lid and the two of them looked inside, finding the monkey curled in a ball with his hands over his head. Miwa sheathed her gauntlet claws and the two teenagers smiled at the monkey when he turned to them. April and Miwa each held out a hand in a kind gesture to help. The monkey hooted softly before accepting the help and climbing from the dumpster. He stared at the girls, his bronze-yellow eyes staring at the girls with fear and desperation. Miwa stared at the monkey, somehow finally noticing the jeans, metal wrist bands, metal waist constraint, and a sort of metal collar. Miwa was right; the monkey was some sort of chimpanzee; but he stood at least a foot taller than the girls.

Suddenly, a chain flew right past the girls and wrapped around the monkey, who started screeching and howling. "Ha!" Mikey boasted. "Gotcha that time!"

"Great." Raph said. "We got the monkey. But we're not any closer to finding Dr. Rockwell."

As Raph talked, April moved closer to the monkey, staring at him. When Raph said "Rockwell", the monkey let out a ferocious scream, showing off his gleaming white fangs. Miwa grabbed April's shoulders and pulled her back. But April looked closely and her eyes suddenly widened. "Actually, we're a lot closer than you think." April said.

"What?" Donnie asked. "How?"

"I think this _is _Dr. Rockwell." April said, gesturing to the monkey.

* * *

The monkey's constant struggling and screaming broke Miwa's heart, but she stayed stoic as Falco pushed a sedative into the primate's system so he could sleep. At least now, they finally understood everything, including why the monkey had those strange metal wristbands and collar: they attached to the freaky "dentist chair" in Rockwell's office.

"There." Falco sighed. "That should calm him down a little. Poor Rockwell."

"Is there any way to get him back to normal?" April asked.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin." Falco admitted. "But I'll see if there's a way to give him some sense of a normal life."

The ninjas exchanged looks, thanked Dr. Falco, and left the building. "A 'normal life'?" Raph scoffed. "How can Rockwell have a normal life when he's like us? A freak?"

"He's not a freak." April protested. "He's just…an overgrown chimp."

"At least we solved the mystery of what the heck was up with the monkey." Miwa shrugged. "He was a human who touched a chimp and was mutated. I'd call that a personal victory."

"True." Mikey nodded. "At least _that's _one good thing that happened tonight."

"You know what would make it better?" Raph asked craftily.

"Pizza!" the boys cheered.

"I'll go get it!" Raph offered, darting off before anyone could respond.

"We'd better get down to the sewers." Donnie said. "I think that's enough excitement for one night."

"When do we _ever _have enough excitement in one night?" Miwa laughed. They journeyed down into the sewers and back into the lair, laughing and talking, and took their seats in the kitchen to wait for Raph. Mikey started playing a game on his T-phone and Donnie messed around on his computer. The others were mostly silent as they waited for dinner.

"Man, this asteroid field is tough!" Mikey said, his eyes glued to his T-phone screen. "I just can't beat it!"

"Pizza's here!" Raph announced, walking inside with a pizza box in hand. He set it on the table and opened it, allowing everyone to grab a slice.

The sweet smell of pizza drifted up to Mikey's nose, and his pupils shrunk in excitement. "Must eat pizza! But can't stop playing! But must eat pizza! But can't stop playing! But must eat pizza!" He screamed in frustration before diving face-first into the pizza box, pulling up a piece of pizza with his teeth and chewing it while continuing to play his game.

Leo and April stared at Mikey for a moment. "Sorry we didn't get any closer to finding your dad, April." Leo said.

"It's okay." April assured. "Everything we learn about the Kraang is another piece of the puzzle."

"Yeah, but psychic research?" Leo asked. "This is one weird puzzle."

"I am curious, April." Splinter said as he walked past. "How did you know the monkey was really a human?"

"I don't know." April admitted. "Sometimes I just get a feeling about things."

"A feeling?" Splinter mused. "Interesting."

Leo glanced over at Donnie and Miwa, sitting beside each other and both on their laptops. "Hey Donnie and Miwa? How come you're not eating?"

"What?" Donnie asked, keeping his eyes on the screen of his computer. "Oh, I'm not hungry."

"Same here." Miwa said.

"Something's been bothering me." Donnie said. "Falco said that Rockwell was experimenting on a monkey."

"And?" Leo asked.

"Well according to these notes," Donnie explained. "He never had a monkey in his lab. He was just using samples of monkey DNA."

"We're still not following you." Leo said.

"If he never had a monkey, what broke out of that cage?" Donnie asked.

"It must've been Rockwell." Raph realized.

"That would make sense." Miwa added. "I took a few pictures of the monkey…..er, Rockwell, before we left him. When I first saw the monkey, I was too busy fighting it to realize he wore jeans and those weird metal restraints. Only now do I realize why; those restraints were meant for that giant chair and Rockwell _was _the monkey. Which meant _he _was the one who broke out of the cage; which got me thinking: _why _would he be in that cage unless he _wasn't _the mastermind behind all this?"

"Which means Falco put him there." Donnie determined. "And he's been lying this whole time!"

Miwa's eyes widened. "Wait a minute. If Rockwell could psychically read our emotions, what would happen if Falco injected himself with that same neurochemical?"

Everyone exchanged worried looks.

"Let's go!" Leo urged.

* * *

"Down here!" Miwa urged, leading the boys down the hall to Rockwell's office. The skidded to a halt right outside the door, only to look through the small window and see Falco pulling something from Rockwell's head with a needle.

"I got my digital lock pick!" Donnie said, holding up the device.

"No time." Miwa said. She spun around and planted a firm spinning back kick to the door and blasting it open.

"All right, Falco!" Leo called as they jumped inside and slammed the door shut. "We've had enough of your—"

"Do _not _say 'monkeying around.'" Raph warned.

"I wasn't going to!" Leo insisted.

"Yes, you were." Falco corrected. Miwa noticed his eyes, now with a red hue, and she knew at once he was going to be a lot harder to defeat.

"It's over, Falco." Donnie said. "We know it was you who mutated Rockwell."

"I used him as a guinea pig." Falco confirmed, though Miwa had a scary feeling he was literally taking Donnie's words right out of his mouth.

"Well it didn't work." Mikey said. "You turned him into a monkey."

Miwa rolled her eyes. "You won't get away with this, Falco."

"I already have. The psychic neurochemical I extracted from his mutant brain is changing me." Falco said with a cruel smile. "Your minds are opening up to me."

"So this was your plan all along." Donnie realized.

"Of course." Falco nodded. "No man can defeat you when you know his every thought."

"Really?" Raph asked. "Then you must know that I'm gonna smack—"

"Smack the white off my lab coat?" Falco laughed. "How humorous."

"Lucky guess!" Raph snapped, charging for Falco. However, the scientist's abilities proved true to their potential, and Falco easily dodged Raphael's attacks. No matter how many times Raph kicked or punched, none of his hits made contact. Finally, Falco managed to steal one of Raph's sais and slam the hilt of the dagger into the turtle's temple, knocking him nearly comatose to the ground. He kicked Raph's shell and he tumbled towards Donnie, Mikey and Miwa, knocking them to the ground. Leo jumped towards Falco next, but his katanas whooshed right past Falco.

"Oh that's not good." Miwa groaned as she, Mikey, and Donnie stood. "How do we fight someone who can see our moves before we land them?"

"Whoa." Mikey breathed. "It's like he's psychic!"

"He _is _psychic, Shell Brain!" Donnie said. "That's what he just said!"

"Oh." Mikey said. "Yeah. I kinda tuned out when he did his whole 'I'm evil, blah blah blah' thing."

"Guys, we need a plan." Miwa urged.

"Come on." Mikey scoffed. "What's he gonna do?" They jumped aside when Leo's katanas suddenly flew towards them and impaled the wall and door. Falco slammed Raph's sai onto Leo's head and he slumped to the ground.

"Distract him." Miwa whispered to Mikey and Donnie. "I'll see if I can sneak up from behind."

"Can do." Mikey nodded.

"How are we gonna defeat him if he can read our minds?" Donnie asked, grabbing Miwa's arm and stopping her from leaving.

"No prob, I'm good at this." Mikey assured. "I just have to fight without thinking." His eyes widened. "Wait a minute. How _do _I fight without thinking? Oh no! Now I'm thinking about _not _thinking! Ow!" He slumped to the ground, Falco having just hit him on the head too. Then he set his sights on Miwa and Donnie, his final two opponents.

"We can do this, Donnie." Miwa assured, unsheathing her gauntlet claws. "Just remember what Splinter said: fight without thinking."

"Miwa, I can't—" Donnie's eyes widened and he pushed Miwa aside as Falco threw Raph's sai at them. They jumped behind Falco and held their weapons ready as Falco retrieved the sai once more.

"A man who can read minds is unstoppable." Falco chuckled darkly. "Once I dispose of you _no one _will be able to stand in my way."

"That's based off the very unlikely chance you'll be able to dispose of us." Miwa sassed.

"Oh my dear child. Your mind is such an amusing labyrinth." Falco mused. "Perhaps I will keep you around when I'm through with your turtle friends."

"We'll see about that." Donnie charged with his bō. But though his movements were quick and decisive, they never hit their mark. Falco threw the sai again, forcing Miwa to duck to avoid being impaled by the weapon. Donnie jabbed his staff, but Falco grabbed the wood and swung Donnie around, causing him to fly across the room and to the ground. Miwa lunged for Falco, jabbing her claws towards him. But even if she tried to not think while she fought, Falco could see her moves coming, and her claws barely grazed his lab coat. The blades swung right past his face when she swung for his head. Falco managed to plant a kick to Miwa's stomach and she doubled over in pain. He backhanded her across her face and she hit the ground, groaning.

"Leave her alone!" Donnie shouted, running for Falco. However, the scientist grabbed the turtle and flipped him back to the ground.

"I really must admire that complex brain of yours." Falco told Donnie. "You come up with so many ideas. Too bad I can see them all coming. By the way, do you _really _think you have a chance with April?"

Miwa growled and pushed herself to sit up. "Donnie…..kick his butt."

Donnie narrowed his eyes. "I can do this." He muttered softly to himself. "Just have to fight without thinking." He closed his eyes in concentration. "No thinking. No thinking!" He allowed all his thoughts to flow out of him and let them loose until he exhausted all his options. "Don't think. Just do." Donnie cleared his thoughts. He only focused on Falco with a determined glare. He charged for Falco. The scientist tried to read Donnie's mind, but to his horror nothing came….except Donnie's foot. Falco ran towards Donnie with a strangled shout, but Donnie planted his knee, fist, and foot into Falco, all his hits landing perfectly. The next time Falco lunged for him, Donnie back flipped over his head, landed on the wall, and pushed off, punching Falco multiple times until the scientist crashed into the broken cage. He groaned, finally slipping into unconsciousness.

Donnie sheathed his bō, looking proud. "Whoa, Donnie." Raph smiled as he and the rest of Donnie's siblings approached. "Nice work!"

"What'd I tell ya about those back flips, huh?" Mikey smirked, holding the mutagen canister. "Pretty cool."

"Now that we have the ooze, let's see what Falco knows about the Kraang." Donnie suggested. But when they turned to the scientist, he had disappeared. "Falco's gone!"

"Great." Miwa groaned. "Well, I bet he'll be back. You guys have a nasty habit of gaining enemies that hold strong grudges."

"You can say that again." Leo sighed. The five of them turned to Rockwell, finally awake and struggling against his bonds.

"What do we do about him?" Mikey asked. Donnie approached the mutant monkey and simply unlocked him from the chair holding him down. The large monkey hurried to the window and pushed it open, but paused at the windowsill. He turned and stared at the ninjas with a somewhat wide-eyed look.

"I'm no psychic." Donnie said. "But I think he's trying to thank us."

Rockwell gave a soft hoot, as though to confirm it, and leaped out the window. Miwa sighed happily. "At least he's free. He may be a mutant, but I bet life's gonna get a lot better for him." Her brothers agreed, all of them smiling warmly. It was another job well done, and they were all happy it was over and done with.

"Um, if he reacts to angry thoughts, is New York City _really _the best place for him?" Raph pointed out.

Their smiles disappeared when car horns honked from outside and voices shouted, followed by Rockwell's screeching and angry howls. Everyone winced, instantly regretting the decision to let him go free.

"I'm sure he'll be okay." Leo assured nervously.

"That guy's car won't be." Miwa scoffed.


	10. Karai's Vendetta

**Karai's Vendetta**

Karai hummed as she balanced the tray in her hands, breathing in the sweet smell of the ramen made for her and her sister for breakfast. The carpet tickled her bare feet and her warm black pajama pants hugged her hips snugly. Her stomach and lower back felt a little cold, but may that's because her short-sleeved black shirt with the white skull design stopped a few inches below her breasts. She blew her bangs from her eyes and knocked on her sister's door with her foot.

"Come in." a voice commanded softly.

Karai lifted her leg higher and clenched her toes around the doorknob, twisting it and gently pushing it open. She stepped inside, closed the door behind her, and walked over to see her older sister sitting cross-legged on her bed and sketching away in an old sketchbook.

"Hey there." Karai greeted. "May I join you?"

"Sure." Miwa nodded, gesturing to the spot in front of her.

Karai hopped on the bed and set the tray between them. "I got your favorite for breakfast."

"Miso ramen with edamame?" Miwa asked excitedly, setting her sketchbook and pencil beside the tray.

"Yep." Karai nodded, smiling at seeing her sister so happy. The two of them folded their hands and simultaneously said "Itadakimasu!" before lifting their chopsticks and began eating. Karai noticed the sketchbook. "Those look cool." She picked up the book and stared at the picture of her, standing in a strong battle stance and wielding one of her small swords. "Wow. I forgot what a great artist you are." She flipped through the pages, staring at the pictures of her, her sister, Shredder, the Foot Clan ninjas, Dogpound, Fishface, even Baxter Stockman. "How long were you awake and drawing?"

"A couple hours." Miwa shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see the Turtles and Splinter."

Karai raised an eyebrow. "Really? Interesting."

"What's _interesting _is the fact that it's the same thing that happened when I stayed with Splinter and I had dreams about Shredder; they were memories, not visions or anything like that. Which is also strange because I have so few memories of my time with them."

Karai nodded, slurping her noodles. "Weird. But they're only dreams, right? They can't hurt you."

"No, but the fact that I lived them once makes it easier to remember anything I felt at the time." Miwa shrugged.

"True." Karai nodded. She lifted her bowl and sipped some of the noodle broth. "So what's on _your _agenda today?"

Miwa put her chopsticks to her lips in thought. "Well, Chris wants to spar with me during training today. Something about 'no good opponents lately'. Although, considering he's a giant mutant dog, I can see how he wouldn't have very many good opponents."

"A very excellent point." Karai nodded with a smile. "Wish I could join you, but Father has special training for me and then later he wants my help with interrogating a Kraang alien he caught."

"Have fun with that." Miwa smirked. "But keep in mind that they don't speak English—or any language besides their own—unless they're in their robot bodies."

"Got that covered." Karai finished the last of her broth and noodles. "Well, I'm off to change and begin training. Stop by any time if you want to join us."

"Thanks." Miwa nodded.

Karai cocked her head. "You okay, sis?"

"I'm fine." Miwa sighed. "I just….."

"Come on, Kuro, you can tell me anything." Karai assured.

_There she goes with that name again. _Miwa sighed again. "Well, I've decided…..it's about time I went back to Splinter and the Turtles."

"Why?" Karai asked. "More spying?"

"No, because I've been gone for three days and I bet they're worried sick about me." Miwa replied somewhat harshly.

"But we need you here." Karai said. "Father wants to see how your skills at the gauntlet have been coming along."

"He's been watching me train and even sparring with me for the past two days." Miwa protested. "Besides, he trained me to fight just like him; shouldn't he already _know _how I fight?"

Karai shrugged. "Just telling you what I heard from him."

Miwa sighed. "Karai, I can't stay here long. In fact, I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Shredder already gave me permission." _Because he still believes I'm working as a spy._

Karai sighed, taking up the tray. "Well, keep in touch, okay? We gotta get together sometime again."

Miwa smiled. "Absolutely, imōto-chan."

Karai chuckled. "Hey, I'm not _that _much younger than you."

"You're five months younger than me." Miwa laughed. "It counts."

Karai laughed, picked up the tray with the bowls and chopsticks, and walked off, whistling happily. Miwa closed her sketchbook and set it on the nightstand beside her bed as she readjusted her comforter, making her bed neat and tidy once more. She stretched her stiff muscles, brushing off her pants. She looked around the room she stayed in, sighing sadly. She turned to a vanity and looked in the mirror, brushing out her hair with a beautiful ivory comb on the desk. She looked at all her old things Shredder kept for some reason after she left. This only increased her confusion. She didn't want to believe that Shredder cared so much that he wanted her back; even now, after she tried to kill him and then saved his life. At the same time, Miwa didn't know why she stayed for so long. She only needed a full night's sleep to cure her blunt force trauma from the Kraang ship hitting her. So why stay so long?

Miwa closed her eyes and sighed in content, setting the comb on the table. But when she opened her eyes to look at her reflection in the mirror, she jumped when she saw her Kuro form staring back. She stumbled backwards, panting a little. When she inched forward again, she saw her own reflection again.

"What the…?" Miwa breathed.

* * *

Leo tried to focus on his _Space Heroes _episode, but the colors on the TV screen blurred and splotched. How long did he sleep last night? Did he sleep at all? Now that he thought about it, most likely not. Donnie stayed up late anyway, working in his lab. Raph kept his door locked, so Leo didn't know if he was awake. Mikey…Splinter had to constantly comfort the smallest turtle because of nightmares. Splinter developed a small case of insomnia, staring continuously at the shrine he made to his family.

How could any of them sleep, when they knew their sister might be dead?

Training remained quiet the past few days. April came down to practice, but Splinter's mind seemed to wander as he instructed her through her katas. She couldn't blame him; she too lost someone close to her. Since the attack on the docks, Karai stopped coming to school. April thought this day would never come, but she was sad when she realized the implication.

"Leo." Mikey muttered from his spot in the bean bag chair. "You really think Miwa's gone?"

"If she was still alive, she'd be here." Raph snapped from the couch, feeding Spike a lettuce leaf.

"Miwa's smarter than we give her credit for." Leo assured. "Maybe she found something we didn't and went to investigate."

"You know what I think?" Raph demanded. "I think Shredder captured her and now she's his prisoner! Or he might've killed her! We gotta go after her!"

"We don't know if he has her!" Leo snapped. "We can't risk it!"

"Not for our own sister?! She needs us!"

"She should've gotten out of the way when the ship came towards her!"

"So now it's _her _fault she got hit?"

"I never said that!"

"Yes you did!"

Raph and Leo jumped when a flash of green shot between them and Splinter's jade staff impaled the stone couch. They turned as the tall rat slowly stepped between the boys to retrieve the length of jade. He turned to his two eldest sons, glaring at them with a dagger-like gaze that forced the turtles to avert their eyes.

"I know this can be hard." Splinter said, his voice dangerously low and even a little sad. "I understand what it means to lose someone close to you. But I swear to every god and spirit I know—" He leaned down to be more eye level with his sons. "—I will _not _allow the family I have left to be torn apart like this. Get your acts together or I'll be forced to take drastic measures." He stood up straight and walked off, his staff tapping rhythmically on the concrete floor. Mikey looked back and forth between his brothers and his father before following the latter into the empty dojo.

"Sensei Splinter." Mikey piped up. "Don't you miss Miwa?"

Splinter stopped right outside the doors to his room. He wouldn't face Mikey, but the small turtle could see the droop in his rat father's ears. "Michelangelo…..I feel many things right now. I am sad because my daughter was taken from me _again_. I am angry because I trusted my sons with her life and they seemed to have failed me." Mikey cringed at that comment, but relaxed with a quizzical look as Splinter continued. "I am disappointed in myself, because I shouldn't be angry with my sons for what happened; it wasn't your fault after all. And I feel guilty…guilty because I promised I would protect my daughter from harm, and I failed her again." Splinter sighed. "You don't know what it's like to have someone you love and lose them twice. This pain I have felt…" Splinter felt a lump form in his throat, and he struggled to swallow it.

Mikey sighed. "Dad….."

Splinter blinked in surprise, for he could not remember the last time his sons called him "Dad".

"Don't be sad." Mikey pleaded, moving to be in Splinter's range of sight. "I miss her too." He looked down at the tatami mats. "I….I love her….."

Splinter looked down at his youngest son and pulled the young turtle into a hug.

Leo decided they would leave early for patrol that night. He didn't explain why, but nobody asked, especially when he told them they would stop at Shredder's headquarters first. Splinter didn't bother stopping them; words escaped him. His feelings for his sons' safety clashed with the hope he had about Miwa being alive. He only watched as his terrapin sons ran from the lair, hoping and praying they returned with his daughter in tow. But he felt like the proverbial Atlas, bearing an immense weight that would never lessen. He made his way to the dojo, but his sight became clouded with visions of his daughter and deceased wife. He heard voices, discouraging voices that sounded like the voices of his children, echoing in his skull.

_Why didn't you help her?_

_You could've saved her, but you weren't there for her._

_Please, when was he _ever _there for her?_

_Daddy, please, why didn't you save me?_

_Why, Daddy? Why didn't you save her?_

_You always said you keep your promises._

_What kind of father are you?_

_What kind of father allows his children to get killed?_

Splinter let out a ferocious shout and threw his staff towards a wall. April yelped when the small point of the jade impaled the wall inches from her skull. Splinter blinked in surprise and cleared his throat, standing straight and tall. "April. I, uh, apologize. I was….training."

April wasn't as perceptive as the boys or Splinter; nor was she as spiritual. But she could clearly see the pain in Splinter's eyes. She intended to come into the dojo to offer him some tea or something to calm his nerves. But losing Miwa, who was more of a sister than a friend, coupled with losing her father, April felt everything collapse and she rushed forward to wrap her arms around Splinter's stomach, burying her face in his chest. Splinter gently wrapped his arms around her, softly petting her head to soothe her.

"April O'Neil." Splinter sighed. "What is wrong?"

April sighed, keeping her face in Splinter's fur. "I miss her too."

* * *

The Kraang alien squealed and squeaked angrily, struggling as Shredder held him up by the top of his…..er, head.

"Why were you hunting the Turtles?" Shredder demanded of the alien. The Kraang only squeaked and growled, speaking in a language only he could understand.

Karai watched, amused, as her father tried to interrogate the slimy pink alien. "They don't talk much outside their little houses." She noted with a smirk, knocking on the remains of the Kraang droid she dragged in a few weeks back. She leaned back a little as Shredder jammed the alien into the droid, allowing the squid-like creature to compose itself and activate the robot. The droid's arms (or what was left of them) and its head jerked, as though the Kraang intended to push himself to his feet. The Kraang alien squeaked angrily, trying again and again to make the robot work. He let out more squeaks, which Karai guessed were something along the lines of, "What the heck did you do to this thing?" followed by some foul language, but she only smirked. She and Shredder waited patiently as the robot twitched some more before falling limp.

The Kraang droid's head finally raised, its glowing purple-pink eyes locking onto Shredder. The voice inside stuttered a little, but righted as the Kraang's words became translated. "Kraang is lacking the knowledge to answer the questions that the one known as Shredder is asking of Kraang."

"Do they _all _speak like this?" Shredder asked quizzically.

_If only you knew. _Karai rolled her eyes.

"Even if Kraang is possessing the knowledge," the alien continued. "The one known as Shredder will never be getting that knowledge from Kraang."

"You didn't have any other plans for today, did you?" Karai asked Shredder.

Shredder cast his daughter a look. "Let's try again." He unsheathed the thicker center blade from his gauntlet, pressing the spade-shaped end between Kraang's eyes. He leaned in close. "Why were you hunting the Turtles?"

Kraang's response came out strained (and fearful) but couldn't have come quicker. "The ones known as the Turtles are protecting the life form needed by Kraang. The one known as April O'Neil."

"Who _is _this April O'Neil?" Shredder demanded.

"She is the one known as the one." Kraang explained. "She is the link which is missing in the plan which is the plan of Kraang."

"So this April O'Neil is at the center of everything." Karai guessed, her smirk finally disappearing.

"Then perhaps we can use her to draw the Turtles out of hiding." Shredder said.

"I think I remember that name, April O'Neil." Karai said. "She's a student at Roosevelt High School. It's the same school Kuro and I went to for a while."

"Do you think you could find this girl again?" Shredder asked.

"I don't think so." Karai admitted. "I've stopped going there. And she knows about my connection to the Foot Clan. She never trusted me."

"Then you'll have to…persuade her." Shredder suggested. Karai smirked at her father's hint.

"The one known as Shredder will not succeed in the securing of the life form known as April O'Neil." Kraang warned. "The ones known as the Turtles—"

"Silence!" Shredder snapped slamming the flat of his blade over the alien's mouth. He turned to his daughter with a softer yet equally as deadly tone. "Karai, find this girl and bring her to me." Karai only nodded and turned to exit the room, a plan forming in her head of how she would find this girl.

* * *

Miwa looked around her room, but found nothing she could take back with her without the guys or April questioning her. Besides, she knew what she would tell them when she returned. She didn't need anything else. She looked down at her ninja attire, making sure her gauntlets and kunai remained in place. She had no shuriken or green mask; both disappeared when she woke up a few days ago. But she could get more shuriken. As for the mask….

Miwa pushed her way through the door and shut it behind her. She moved through the building and out to the fire escape, leaping across the alley and landing on the building on the other side. She started walking across the rooftops, opting for the somewhat long way home. Besides, it was almost five in the morning; by the time she reached the lair, it might almost be time for training and then breakfast. She leaped across another alley to yet another apartment building….

"Kuro!"

Miwa jumped and spun around, seeing Shredder run up behind her. He leaped across the alley, somersaulted in the air, and landed in the spot right beside the young konoichi. He stood up straight, staring down at his daughter.

"You gave me permission to leave." Miwa reminded him.

"I know." Shredder nodded. "Here." He held out a hand, revealing Miwa's green mask and Lotus Clan shuriken. "I suppose Splinter and the Turtles will not question you if you return home with these."

Miwa quickly took the shuriken and stuffed them in her pockets. She tied her mask around her eyes. "Um…..thanks."

"I have one more thing for you." Shredder announced. Miwa noticed an uncharacteristic air of…..discomfort…in Shredder's voice. As though he didn't know how to phrase what he would say next. "Think of it as a sort of…early birthday present."

"What?" Miwa asked warily.

Shredder produced a small, beautifully wrapped box from his pocket, glittering silver with a large golden bow. Miwa blinked in surprise, but accepted the gift and nodded in thanks. Shredder turned and walked off, but not before turning to look at Miwa one last time and say, "Return home soon, my daughter. You are welcome here, always."

Miwa watched Shredder until he disappeared into his headquarters. She looked down at the present and pulled off the bow and wrapping paper. She opened the small box and blinked in surprise. She stared at the small object in the box, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

It was a locket. A small, golden, heart-shaped locket on an elegant gold chain. She opened the locket and found two pictures: one of her mother and the other of her and Oroku Saki when she was only five. Tang Shen was dressed in a beautiful red and white kimono; Shredder and five-year-old Kuro each wore a training _gi. _Miwa looked up to where Shredder disappeared, conflicted emotions swirling around her heart and stomach like a hurricane.

_Why? _Miwa wondered. _Why do you have so much hope for my return to the Foot?_

* * *

April lunged with another punch, and another, and another, followed by a strong roundhouse kick. However, Splinter only stepped back to allow his konoichi student to advance, blocking her attacks with ease. Donnie and Leo, on the other side of the dojo, sparred with each other; Raph and Mikey did the same. Donnie spun his staff and swung it towards Leo, but the blue-clad terrapin ducked, grabbed Donnie's staff, and landed a firm palm strike to his taller brother's chest. Splinter continued to move aside as tiny wafts of air whooshed past his face, April's punches never coming close. He stepped aside, blocking an attack and tapping April's head before turning it towards Raph and Mikey's sparring.

"Whatcha gonna do?" Raph taunted Mikey as he bounced on the balls of his feet. "Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?"

Mikey stared a little worriedly as Raph held his sais ready. He kept his hands close to his nunchakus, but when Raph lunged he smirked. He grabbed Raph's wrists, fell to his back, and kicked Raph to the ground. "Booyakasha!" Mikey cheered. "You got faced! Thought you had me, but I played you like a trombone!" He made a trombone sound, tauntingly, not realizing Raph stood up behind him.

"Playtime's over, tough guy!" Raph smirked as he wrapped his arms around Mikey's chest and lifted his smaller brother into the air.

"Put me down!" Mikey whined, wishing his other brothers, Splinter, or April would come help; but apparently they were too busy being entertained by the sight. "Enough! Uncle!"

"I don't see ya tapping out!" Raph snapped.

"I can't move my arms." Mikey groaned, his fingers tingling from going numb.

Raph squeezed tighter. "Then tap your horrible disgusting middle toe!" Mikey lifted his foot and wiggled his middle toe. Satisfied, Raph allowed Mikey to fall to the floor.

"Don't worry, Stubby." Mikey soothed his toe. "You're not as horrible as he says."

Splinter approached his youngest son, asking, "Michelangelo, why did you give up so easily?"

"There was nothing I could do." Mikey shrugged.

"There is _always _something you can do." Splinter insisted. "Observe. Raphael, kanukichime."

Raph's smirk disappeared as Splinter walked up and put his back to the turtle. Raphael knew this wouldn't end well. One, because Splinter was…..well, Splinter; and two, because Splinter was much taller (and therefore somewhat heavier) than Raph, making whatever he would do even worse. Nonetheless, Raph wrapped his arms around Splinter's middle and struggled to lift the tall rat off the ground.

"The key is to unbalance your opponent." Splinter instructed as his students watched curiously.

"But how?" Mikey asked.

"However you can." Splinter said. "For example….." Then, much to Raph's shock and slight disgust, Splinter ran his tongue along the side of his face. Raph shoved his father aside and wiped the saliva off his temple and cheek. Splinter adopted a strong stance before swinging his tail around and smacking Raph to the floor.

"Whoa….." Mikey said, awestruck. His father's strength never ceased to amaze him.

"You see?" Splinter asked. "There is always a way." He wrinkled his nose and wiped his tongue with his hand, trying to rid it of the terrible taste. "I do need to take a bath." _I suppose I have forgotten that we live in a sewer._

Raph groaned, both from Splinter's unorthodox methods and his fierce tail strike. "That was uncalled for."

"That was pretty impressive." April laughed.

"Come on." Raph scoffed, sitting cross-legged with April and Mikey. "Name _one _person who would do something so…weird….just to win a fight."

"Miwa." Mikey said without hesitation but not without a frown.

Everyone fell silent. Splinter paused right before he entered his room. His ears drooped and his eyes lowered to the floor. Haiiro the smoky grey kitten mewed softly and rubbed the rat's leg with her head comfortingly.

"Guys, I thought the point of this extensive training exercise was to distract us from those thoughts." Leo said, glaring sternly at nothing in particular.

"We can't just forget about our own sister." Donnie noted bitterly.

Leo's fists clenched. "Well you know what? I think—"

"Hello? Guys? You down here?"

Everyone froze, eyes wide, and suddenly bolted out the doors and into the main room of the lair. Their faces broke into grins when they saw a familiar face standing by the pit.

"Miwa!" Everyone cheered.

"Whoa!" Miwa yelped when her four brothers and best friend tackled her in a group hug. The air became squeezed from her lungs, and the five of them spewed questions at a mile a minute. Miwa, overwhelmed and slowly getting irritated, held up her gauntlets and unsheathed her claws, making everyone jump back.

"Everyone take at least five steps back or I'll skewer you!" Miwa snapped. Everyone simultaneously obeyed, each taking exactly five steps away. Miwa sheathed her claws. "Thank you."

"Miwa!" Splinter suddenly pulled his daughter into a hug and then held her out at arm's length, brushing her bangs from her face and looking her over. "Are you hurt? Did anyone hurt you? You feel warm are you sick? Are—"

"Dad, if I assure you I'm all right, will you stop squishing my face?" Miwa asked.

Splinter sighed and stepped back, folding his hands masterfully behind his back. "I apologize." Haiiro rubbed against Miwa's legs, purring happily. The girl scooped up the cat and stroked her fur.

"Miwa, what happened?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah, where were you?" April added.

"When the Kraang ship hit me, it pinned me to the bottom of the river." Miwa explained. "Luckily, I had the rebreather Donnie made me. I was able to breathe underwater until I could dig myself out. I would have come right home, except….." She looked down. "I saw Shredder and Karai on the docks. Shredder had a Kraang alien. I wanted to know what he had planned, so I followed Shredder back to his headquarters. But I couldn't find anything out. And I almost got captured. So I tried finding the Kraang; failed there as well. Got a little sick and bruised up, but I thought coming home would be the best choice."

"I think we can all agree." Raph ruffled his sister's hair lovingly. "Welcome home, sis."

Miwa smiled. "I'm just sorry I couldn't get us any further on the Kraang _or _the Foot."

"Don't worry about it." Donnie assured. "April and I are working on something for the Kraang case. You just take a breather."

"Looks like you got a scratch." Mikey noted, pointing to a tear in Miwa's sleeve. Miwa looked down at her forearm and noticed Mikey's words true.

"I can help with that." Splinter offered, putting an arm around Miwa's shoulders and leading her off. "You boys go about your business; we're done with training for today." The boys cheered and ran off to busy themselves with the TV and some pizza. Miwa allowed her father to steer her to the dojo and she sat on the floor, right below the tree and leaning against the trunk. Splinter disappeared into his room, Haiiro chasing his tail all the way. Miwa sighed, fingering with something under her collar. She straightened up a little when her father returned with a first-aid kit in hand. He knelt in front of his daughter, who allowed him to take her arm and pull her sleeve up. He cleaned the wounds with a disinfectant, causing Miwa to hiss in pain. But she relaxed when Splinter wrapped some gauze around the scratch.

"How did you get this?" Splinter asked.

"Small scuffle with some ninjas." Miwa shrugged; when, in reality, Dogpound accidentally scratched her during a sparring session. Though he apologized profusely, Miwa assured him she was all right.

Splinter sighed. "Miwa—"

"Dad, I'm fine." Miwa assured. "I'm your daughter; ninjutsu is in my blood, so my skills in survival are top notch."

"You realize I still worry for you?" Splinter chuckled as he repacked the first-aid kit. "I am your father; it is my job."

Miwa covered her mouth to hide her giggles. "Otōsan, daijōbu desu."

Splinter's usually bright red-brown eyes looked dull, like rust. He stared at the ground, but Miwa took his four-fingered paw in her five-fingered hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. Splinter pulled Miwa into his lap and held her close, unconsciously humming the lullaby he always sang to her to help the child sleep. Miwa kept as close to her father as possible, resting her head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat. Splinter rubbed Miwa's shoulder with his thumb, struggling to keep calm.

"Dad." Miwa said softly.

"Hmm?" Splinter asked.

"I'm sorry I worry you so much. I know it must drive you crazy."

"I live with four teenage boys, who are ninjas that go out every night to fight some of the greatest enemies in history."

"It's a wonder you don't freak out every time they leave the lair."

"I do. I am just good at hiding it."

Miwa snuggled closer to her father. "Daddy…"

Splinter held her tighter. "I am sorry if my constant worrying is a bother. You must understand; I love you so much, and I don't want to lose you a second time. You're the only family I have left; you, the boys, and April are all I have to live for now. So when you come home with even a small scratch, or when you do not come back at all, my worst fears come back to haunt me."

Miwa sighed. "I understand, Father. I love you so much, and I don't want to lose you either."

Splinter smiled and gave his daughter one last squeeze. "All right; why don't you go spend some time with your brothers? They missed you; Michelangelo especially."

Miwa smiled and nodded. She hugged her father tightly around his neck and jogged off to join her brothers. As she walked through the hallway to the main room, she reached under her collar and pulled out two things to make sure they remained around her neck.

First, her turtle charm with her name carved in the silver plastron.

Second, the locket with the pictures of her, Saki, and Tang Shen.

* * *

Miwa laid on her stomach on the beanbag chair, staring at the screen as she, Leo, and Mikey watched one of Leo's _Space Heroes _episodes.

"_The landing party is under attack by the Digesters! We have to save them!" _The cadet cried._ SMACK!_

"_If we keep bailing them out, they'll never learn to take care of themselves." _Captain Ryan said.

"_But, this is their first mission." _The cadet protested_. "And they don't even have weapons!"_

"_Then they better learn fast."_ Captain Ryan said. A few terrified screams and a loud burp informed everyone that the mission didn't go well. _"Say, Dr. Mindstrong, weren't you in love with that one?"_

"_I…..was, Captain."_ Dr. Mindstrong said sadly.

"_Well, it looks like you both learned a lesson today."_ Captain Ryan huffed.

"That seems a little harsh." Miwa said. "I still like the one where they killed off Mindstrong better."

"Yeah." Leo shrugged. "But then he comes back a few episodes later because of the—"

"Don't care." Miwa announced.

"Hey guys!" Donnie called cheerfully as he poked his head through the door to his lab. "Guess what April and I have been up to?" Everyone stared at him, giving neither answer nor guess. "That's right! Analyzing sewage."

"I don't say this very often." Miwa admitted as she sat up. "But, ew."

"Who says you don't know how to show a girl a good time?" Raph said sarcastically.

"What'd you find?" Leo asked. Surely his brother would not make such an announcement unless he found something worthwhile.

"Come and see!" April called from in the lab. Donnie smiled giddily and disappeared. Miwa, Mikey, Raph, and Leo exchanged looks before standing and following their tallest brother into his laboratory. Donnie brought over a large beaker filled almost all the way with a strange green liquid.

"April and I were going through some files on the Kraang storage device." Donnie explained, setting the beaker on a few pizza boxes. "We found out that they're using a special process to change Earth's water into Kraang water."

"They've already started the process." April added. "We found a low concentration of the Kraang chemicals in the sewage."

"And I take it that's a bad thing." Raph guessed.

"Yeah." Miwa agreed. "What's the difference between Kraang water and our water?"

"Watch what happens when I dip this slice of Mikey's shrimp and sardine pizza into pure Kraang water." Donnie said, lifting the pizza slice and dipping it into the water. The millisecond it touched the water, the pizza disintegrated and dissolved, much to Mikey's horror.

"How do you sleep at night?!" Mikey whined.

"Okay, so Kraang water is bad and Kraang air is bad." Miwa noted. "Something tells me I _don't _want to visit Dimension X anytime soon."

"Presently, there's only a tiny bit in the water supply." Donnie continued. "But the concentration is increasing. Which means—"

"Every slice of pizza in New York will be destroyed?!" Mikey gasped.

April raised an eyebrow. "Along with anyone who uses water."

"Which is everyone." Miwa added. "Especially you guys, who live in the sewers and, ergo, live near water."

"I don't wanna live in a world without pizza!" Mikey declared, grabbing a pizza box and jerking it to safety. Unfortunately, that same pizza box held the beaker of Kraang water, which flew right towards April!

"Look out!" Donnie cried.

Too late! The chemical splashed all over April's arm and hand!

"April!" Miwa cried. The others gasped as well, horrified as….

April squeezed her eyes shut to prepare for the pain, but nothing came. She stared at her hand as the liquid dripped off her skin.

"Nothing happened to you." Donnie breathed in amazement and relief.

April stared at the green liquid still clinging to her armbands.

"Maybe it's cause she's not made out of pizza." Mikey suggested.

"Or maybe the Kraang water isn't as harmful to humans." Miwa shrugged. She took a towel and helped wipe some of the Kraang water off April's hand, but yelped at a sudden burning sensation. She sucked on the sore spot of her hand, thankful for the unbroken skin. "Scratch that."

Everyone turned as Donnie's computer began beeping and they gathered around it. "The scanner's located the Kraang facility transforming the water supply, which is right here." Donnie pointed to a pink dot on the digital map. "We gotta stop it!"

"Looks like we got a mission." Leo said. "You coming, April?"

"Sounds like a blast." April said. "But unfortunately it's on the bottom of the East River. And equally unfortunately I have an essay due. Plus, I wouldn't mind a little human food."

"Pizza's human food." Mikey noted as April walked off.

"Not the way you eat it." April laughed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're going topside?" Donnie looked worried. He climbed over his desk but hit the floor hard. "You got your T-phone, right?" He asked nervously.

"Donnie, don't worry." April assured. "I'll be fine." She turned and walked off, but Miwa noticed how she rubbed her arm where the Kraang water hit her.

"She'll be okay." Miwa agreed. "This is April we're talking about."

"She _is _pretty tough." Leo nodded. "So, Donnie, how are we gonna get out there?"

"Don't worry guys." Donnie assured. "I've been working on something that is pretty awesome!"

"Sweet!" Miwa said cheerfully. "I say let's go! The sooner we take down the Kraang the better!" Her brothers agreed and followed Donnie to a chamber just beyond his lab. A sort of submarine rested in the water. It didn't look like any kind of submarine Miwa had ever seen, but she was excited nonetheless.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey cheered as the five ninjas leaped towards the submarine and through the door to the inside. Miwa jumped up to dive inside, but something suddenly grabbed her shirt and abruptly halted her descent. She turned her head just enough to see her father's stern face.

"Dad!" Miwa whined a little, wiggling in the rat's grip. "Let go! We have to stop the Kraang from poisoning Earth's water!"

"Your brothers are going to do that." Splinter corrected, pulling Miwa back to solid ground. "_You _are staying here."

"What?" Miwa asked, shocked. The Turtles poked their heads out of the submarine curiously.

"You're still wounded and need rest." Splinter said.

"It's just a scratch." Miwa protested. "I have to get out there!"

"What you _need _is a break." Splinter corrected. "I fear all that is happening is overtiring your mind and spirit."

"Dad, if this is a safety issue—"

"It is nothing of the kind. It is only me wanting you to take a break. Even the greatest of warriors need time to find their inner peace."

Miwa opened her mouth to protest, but the look in her father's eyes stopped her. She sighed and looked down. "Hai…Sensei."

Splinter sighed solemnly, patting his daughter on the shoulder and walking from the room. Miwa watched sadly as her brothers disappeared into the submarine and sunk below the water. She turned and walked off, plopping herself down in front of the TV and turning on some cartoons. A few minutes later, Haiiro rubbed up against her, wanting to be pet. Splinter followed soon after, sitting down behind Miwa and placing a comforting paw on her shoulder.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Did you keep me behind because you were worried about me?"

Splinter smiled and pulled his daughter into a hug. "What do _you _think?"

* * *

April took a breath of the fresh air, sighing in content. She couldn't help but feel at ease, being out in the city again. She loved the guys and Splinter and Miwa. She loved her ninjutsu training. She loved everything about her life (minus the obvious things like her dad being missing). But she apparently had to remind herself that, even if she hung out with mutants, she was still human. A human with a life to lead. Still, she couldn't help but rub her wrist a little bit; based and her and Donnie's experiments, Kraang water was supposed to be highly acidic. So why didn't it affect _her_?

"Let's see." April mused, walking through the Asian district. "I think lunch at Murakami's would do nicely." She rounded the corner to see the familiar noodle shop ahead and briskly walked towards it. She noticed a sort of vending machine right outside and knelt down to check it out. She noticed labels on the buttons that looked like the meals Murakami served, from his soups to his gyoza to the drinks he offered. The labels were written in English and Japanese. "Hm. This is new. What _is _this thing?"

"Oh, that's how you order."

April looked up at a teenage girl who appeared beside her. The girl wore ratty jeans and combat boots, with a jacket that looked two sizes too big, had spikes on the shoulders, with a few buttons pinned around the zipper. She also wore fingerless gloves and sunglasses. Her dark brown hair cascaded around her shoulders and her nails were painted black. April watched as the girl put a few coins in the machine and pressed a button. A wooden token came out of the bottom, and the girl showed it to April.

"They have these in Tokyo." The girl explained. "You give this to the chef."

"Oh, thanks." April looked back at the machine and put in her money. She found her favorite dish and pressed the button. A token and her change came out.

"Mind if I join you?" the girl asked a little shyly.

"Sure." April shrugged. "Why not?" _She _did _help me with the vending machine. Besides, she seems pretty nice. _The two girls walked into the restaurant and found Murakami mixing things in his giant stew pot. "Hi, Murakami-san!"

"April-chan!" the blind chef greeted. "How are you?" He felt the table and found her food token, thankful she learned to use the new ordering system. He felt the engraving and lit up. "Ah, pizza gyoza!"

"Hai." April nodded. "Choushe."

"You speak Japanese?" the dark-haired girl asked, surprised.

"I picked up a few words from….." April paused. "My brothers."

"Brothers?" the brunette girl asked curiously. "Tell me about them."

"Oh, you know." April laughed. "Just crazy—"

"Animals?" the girl asked.

April blinked. _That's a little too close. Then again, she's right. _"Pretty much."

"Although, I've never heard of pizza gyoza back in Tokyo." The girl noted.

"That's because Murakami invented it." April explained. "You should try one."

_Well, _this _one's good at making friends. _The girl smiled. "That sounds great. You should try some of mine."

April smiled with a soft chuckle. "Done."

The girl pushed her token towards Murakami. He lifted it up and scratched it. When he realized the dish, his blind eyes widened. "Hai…" He hated making this dish, knowing his new friends. But he didn't want to refuse the customer. _Must remember to take that off the menu._

"What's your name?" the girl asked April.

"I'm April." April introduced.

"My name's Harmony." The girl introduced.

"Nice to meet you." April nodded in greeting. "Just a quick question: don't you want to take your sunglasses off?"

"I kind of just got back from eye surgery." Harmony explained. "My eyes are really sensitive to light."

"Wow." April laughed. "Just got out of eye surgery and she's back on the streets. Way to be tough."

"You have no idea." Harmony laughed.

* * *

Miwa sat upside down on the benches, her head hanging off the edge and staring at the TV. Though her favorite cartoons played, she found no interest in them. She hated being stuck inside while her brothers and even April frolicked out in the fresh air. Okay, so the guys went to fight the Kraang in an underwater base, but at least they were outside. She hated that Splinter forced her to stay inside. Still, she knew his nerves were still riled from her disappearing for so long. Miwa would be surprised if he ever let her out of the lair again.

"Miwa."

Miwa pulled herself to a sitting position as her father approached her. "Yes?"

"I was just thinking…" Splinter looked like he continued to think about what he would say. "If you _truly _wanted to go to the surface…"

Miwa sat up expectantly. "Yes…"

Splinter sighed. "If you want, you may at least go shopping or something." Splinter hardly finished his sentence when Miwa whooped and took off for her room, emerging a minutes later wearing camouflage capris, a black T-shirt, black sneakers, and a green bandana. Splinter stopped her before she could run out. "But you keep your phone on hand at all times, understand?"

"Hai, Sensei!" Miwa bowed. Then she hugged Splinter tightly. "Thank you for trusting me."

Splinter returned the hug. "Of course. Now run along." Miwa happily obliged, making sure she had her phone in one pocket and her money in her other pocket.

* * *

Harmony pulled her chopsticks apart and rubbed them together, getting rid of the splinters. April watched and mimicked her. "So, what brings you to New York?"

"I'm with my dad." Harmony explained. "He's here trying to close an old deal."

"Oh." April nodded. "What does he do?"

"He's in kitchen utensils." Harmony said. "Knives, mostly."

_Wonder how many times he cuts himself in one work day. _April laughed silently. Murakami appeared, bringing the girls their food. April watched, somewhat fascinated, as Harmony folded her hands and said, "Itadakimasu."

April folded her hands. "I-idatakimasu."

_Not bad. _Harmony thought. _Could use a little work though. _She took up her chopsticks. "All right. Let's see what these pizza pot stickers are all about." April pushed her plate over and Harmony took one of the gyoza. She popped it in her mouth, chewing thoroughly. She smiled as she swallowed. "Best dumpling ever!" _I gotta come here more often._

"I know, right?" April smiled.

"Now you try mine." Harmony insisted, pushing her bowl in front of April.

April took up the spoon and scooped up some broth, green onions, and white cubes of what she assumed was tofu. _Wow. Harmony's so nice. And she's from Japan! I wonder if she knows ninjutsu or karate. Or if she goes to my school. I think she and I are going to get along just fine. _"What is it?" April asked, blowing on the contents of her spoon to cool it off.

"Suppon nave." Harmony replied simply. April lifted the spoon to her mouth when Harmony suddenly said, "Turtle soup."

April gasped, feeling an icy coldness constrict her heart. _No…_ "Karai."

Karai shed her sunglasses to show off her red makeup over her golden brown orbs; she took of her wig to reveal her black and blonde hair. She folded both items and neatly placed them on the counter as she smirked at April. "In person."

April dropped the spoon in the bowl and stepped backwards towards the door. Karai stood from her seat and smiled evilly at the redhead. Suddenly, April noticed just how much taller Karai was compared to her. _She came in disguise so I wouldn't recognize her. But why? She wouldn't do that unless…. _"Uh, I gotta go!"

Karai suddenly grabbed April's bag strap and pulled her backwards. "I was thinking you'd come with me, April O'Neil. My father would _love _to meet you."

"Let go of me!" April demanded, her bag strap constricting her chest. Suddenly, Murakami yelped and Karai shouted as he pushed a bowl of soup over her head. April hit the floor, but scrambled to her feet two seconds later and bolted out the door. "Get to the lair. Get to the lair!" She pulled out her T-phone and pressed her speed dial for Donnie. She pressed the phone to her ear, desperately pleading for the turtle to pick up soon.

"_April! Hi!" _Donnie's voice came out panicked and rushed. In the background came the sound of the Kraang's blasters, and April knew she must've blown the Turtles' cover. _Oops. "It's not a great time!"_

"Donnie!" April said hurriedly. "Karai is after me!"

"_What?!" _April had to hold the phone from her ear at the loud outburst. She listened as Donnie's voice became more distant, talking to one of his brothers. _"Karai is after April! We gotta help her!"_

"_And who's gonna help us?" _It sounded like Leo's voice.

"_April, I'm sorry but we can't get there." _Donnie's voice returned to normal. _"Don't you worry. Just stay calm…AND RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"_

April hung up hurriedly and continued to run, looking back to see how far…..or how _close, _rather, Karai was from her. _Come on, Leo! _She growled. _You couldn't send _someone _to get me? _She blinked. _Wait, maybe Splinter can get me! _April typed in Miwa's number, hoping she knew the best way to reach Splinter. _Oh please, please, please pick up, Miwa. _

"_Hey April." _Miwa said casually. _"You called just in time! I'm out shopping in the mall on Bakers Street."_

"You are?" April asked happily. _She's closer to me than Splinter! Perfect!_

"_Yeah, and I found the cutest skirt for you!"_ Miwa said. _"You should come down it's green with purple rhinetsones and—"_

"Miwa, listen to me!" April panted, quickly tiring. "You have to help me! Karai is after me!" There was a pause. "Hello? Miwa? You still there?"

* * *

"I think I'd like it better in blue." The girl said.

The clerk nodded. "Well, I think we—" He and the girl yelped as a flash of blue and black shot between them.

"Sumimasen!" Miwa shouted as she sprinted out the doors of the mall, her phone still pressed to her ear. "April, where are you?"

"_Riding down 42__nd__! On a pizza delivery bike!" _April said hurriedly.

"Keep riding!" Miwa ordered. "I'll see you in two seconds just hang on!" She stuffed her phone into her pocket and leaped up a fire escape, climbing to the roof and resuming her sprint across the rooftops

* * *

April suddenly skidded to a halt at a stop light, looking all around for Karai. She didn't see her at first, but the sound of a motor reached her ears, and she turned to see Karai riding up on a red and black motorcycle. _Oh you have _got _to be kidding me. _April groaned as she revved her bike and sped off. She and Karai weaved through cars in traffic, April desperately trying to dodge Karai's wild grabs towards her. Karai eventually pushed April onto the sidewalk, forcing the redhead to skid to a halt. But she sped off soon after, down an alleyway to another street. Karai followed close behind. April looked ahead and gasped at the sight of a large truck about to be in her way. She gathered her courage and released the brakes, allowing her speed to rise just enough so she whizzed right past the truck, Karai, however, slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the truck.

_She's good. _Karai mused. _But I'm better._

* * *

Miwa leaped across alleyways and flipped over skylights. "Find April. Find April. Find April." She paused briefly to look down at the scene of a small car crash. "Found a trail." She leaped to the ground and approached a bystander. "Excuse me. What happened here?"

"Some maniacs on bikes causing trouble." The man shrugged. "Nothing big."

"Which way did they go?" Miwa asked hurriedly.

"That way." The man pointed down the street. "Turned the corner about a block down." Miwa thanked the man and hurried off. She looked down every road to see where the trail picked up and skidded to a halt when she saw an overturned hot dog stand. She hurried over and helped the owner pick it up.

"What happened?" Miwa asked.

"Some kid being chased came barreling down here." The man said. "Turned the corner right there.

"Thanks!" Miwa bolted to the alley, reaching it just in time to see the rider of the black and red motorcycle disappear around the corner. She scurried up a fire escape and ran the direction the motorbike went, glaring in determination.

_You've crossed the line, Karai. _Miwa growled a little. _Now you deal with _me.

* * *

Karai approached the crashed bike with slight caution, wondering where April could've disappeared to. But she smirked when she heard footsteps, and she spun around to dodge April attacking her with her helmet. April threw the helmet at Karai, but she easily moved her head and the blunt object flew past her.

"You've got guts." Karai mused. "Let's see if I can pound that out of you." But Karai paused when April pulled out a piece of metal and opened it, revealing a black metal fan with the Lotus Clan symbol on it. "A tessen. Beautiful, unassuming, but very powerful." She smirked. "In the right hands."

April glared and lunged, swiping her bladed fan. Karai easily dodged her attacks and suddenly flipped April to the ground, taking her tessen and tossing it aside. Still, April jumped to her feet and took a strong fighting stance, ready to face Karai hand-to-hand. She lunged with a punch, then another, and another and another, and finally a spinning crescent kick. The last one caught Karai off-guard, and she grunted as she stepped back, rubbing her jaw.

_Okay, girlie. _Karai thought. _Now you've done it. _"Good one."

"Glad you enjoyed it." April growled.

Karai narrowed her eyes. "Now it's _my _turn." She took a strong stance, just as her father taught her. When April charged again, Karai planted a strong spinning back kick to the teen's stomach, sending her flying and crashing into the cement wall. Karai continued her onslaught, punching and kicking April who kept hitting the wall in the process. The pain from each strike was more than April could manage, especially with those combat boots and spike gloves Karai wore. With one final punch, April slumped to the ground in pain. She struggled to stand; everything on her hurt like hell. Karai prepared to strike again—

Karai yelped when someone jumped on her back and covered her eyes. She stumbled back, trying to shake whoever jumped her. She grabbed the person's arm and flipped them off her back, jumping in the air and kicking her attacker squarely in the chest. But her eyes widened when she saw her sister hit the ground hard, moaning in pain and clutching her chest.

"Kuro!" Karai cried, rushing towards her fallen sister. "I'm sorry! I didn't—" She felt April's weak punch to her shoulder, and she spun around to flip the redhead over her shoulder. April's limbs shook as she struggled to rise. The second she was on her feet, Karai kicked her so hard she flew to the entrance of the alley.

"What makes _you _so special?" Karai demanded, shoving April down when she attempted to rise. The teenager laid there, in pain and her muscles refusing to work for her. Karai stepped around her, continuing to speak. "You're the center of an alien conspiracy, protected by mutants, and trained by a great ninja master. Why?"

"I don't know!" April shouted, grabbing Karai's hair in both fists. Karai turned and grabbed April's hair in her fists. The two of them spun and yelped, fighting for control. April, out of frustration and despite the pain, started shouting as they fought. "I'm flunking trig! My friends are mutants! Aliens got my dad!" April tried to spin Karai to the ground, but Karai suddenly spun April around and slammed her face down to the concrete, locking her arm in a tight grip.

April, fighting tears and a lump forming in her throat, suddenly shouted, "AND I LOST MY MOTHER!"

Karai blinked, caught completely off-guard. Her grip slacked on April's wrist and she stared. "What? You lost your mother?"

April remembered Splinter's words from earlier: _the key is to unbalance your opponent. _Without hesitating, April grabbed Karai by the collar of her jacket and pulled her forward, planting her foot into the Japanese girl's stomach and flipping her down the steps to the subway station. She listened as Karai grunted in pain and crashed into who-knows-what.

April shakily stood, holding her arm. But she smirked triumphantly as she walked off. "Not bad for a nobody."

"April!"

April groaned in pain as Miwa suddenly tackled her in a hug. Miwa held her friend out at arm's length and looked her over. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." April assured. "But I'd like to get out of here before Karai comes back."

Miwa nodded. "Go. Get to the lair."

"What about you?" April asked as Miwa pushed her towards the bike.

"I'll catch up later." Miwa said. "Hurry!" April hopped on the bike and sped off. Miwa darted to the subway stairs as Karai came up them. She tackled Karai and sent the two of them tumbling.

Karai jumped out of the way and stood in a defensive stance, hurriedly blocking her sister's attacks. "Kuro! What are you doing?"

"Let's get something straight here, Karai!" Miwa snapped, continuing her relentless attacks. "You can attack my brothers. You can even threaten my father. I can handle that because I know they can handle themselves. But never, under _any _circumstances, do you attack April! She has _nothing _to do with Shredder's rivalry with Splinter and the Turtles! I told you to stay away from the Kraang and _now _look where it's—"

"Kuro, stop!" Karai grabbed Miwa's wrists to stop her and stared into her eyes. "How did April lose her mother?"

Miwa paused, raising an eyebrow. "Why do _you _care?"

"Just tell me!" Karai urged.

"I don't know." Miwa shrugged. "A…..a fire I think. Why?" She noticed the look in Karai's eyes, and her eyes and voice softened. "Karai? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Karai lied, releasing Miwa's wrists. "I have to go. I'll see you around."

Miwa could only watch as Karai ran past her and disappeared around the corner. She stared, concerned, after her sister before journeying off to the sewers. As she did, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Leo's number.

_"Hello?" _Leo answered on the second ring. _"Miwa? Where are you?"_

"Oh, nowhere." Miwa said casually. "Just...saving April's life!"

_"What?"_

"Leo, did April call you at any time while she was being chased by Karai?"

_"Well, yeah, but..."_

"And you didn't help her at all?"_  
_

Leo's voice came sharp._ "If we didn't stop the Kraang then, April would've been in danger just like every other human in New York! I made the right decision."_

"You would've made the right decision if you sent at least one member of your team out to help!" Miwa corrected. "Instead, April had to call me and I barely made it in time to help! Do you really hate her _that_ much?"

_"None of us were available!" _Leo snapped.

"You could've sent Mikey, seeing how you seem to like him the least."

_"That's not true!"_

"I've seen the way you treat him."

_"I'm not going to stand here and be lectured by the likes of you!"_

Miwa paused. "The likes of me, huh?"

Leo paused as well._ "Miwa..."_

"No. Not a word. I'll see you back at the lair." Miwa hung up angrily, stuffing her phone in her pocket.

* * *

"And when her guard was down, I flipped her down the subway steps and I bolted." April finished proudly.

"That is awesome!" Donnie smiled.

"You rocked!" Mikey chimed in.

"Kicked butt." Raph agreed.

"Way to go, April." Miwa nodded.

"Impressive, April." Splinter voiced from across the room. "You used your training well. And you fulfilled the most important goal of the ninja: to come home alive."

"Thank you, Sensei." April bowed respectfully. "Looks like I can take care of myself after all!"

"yes." Splinter nodded. "And…no." Everyone stared at him, confused. All but Leo, who stood even farther away from the group with an undescribable look on his face. Splinter continued. "Karai may have failed this time, but if Shredder wants you he will stop at nothing to find you. And with the Kraang after you as well, the wisest decision is for you to remain here, in the sewer, with us."

"What?!" April and Miwa asked simultaneously.

"Oh that's great!" Donnie cheered. But when he noticed April and Miwa's glare. "I mean, oh that's horrible! That…..you know, April's life as she knows it is….is over…and um…..I'll shut up now."

"I can't stay down here!" April protested. "I mean, what about school? My friends? Everything?"

"What if I stayed with her?" Miwa said. "I'll be by her side at all times; at school and in the lair. She won't be harmed as long as I'm with her."

"You cannot do that because you will not be going to school either." Splinter said.

"What?" Miwa snapped.

"Miwa, if Karai and the Foot are pursuing April, there is a very great chance they will go after you as well." Splinter explained. "If you truly want to protect April, you will stay down here to do so."

Miwa glared at the ground, but sighed. "Hai, Otōsan." But April slid to the floor, leaning against a bench, and put her forehead to her knees.

"April, Master Splinter's right." Leo's voice made April look up. "Until we stop Shredder and the Kraang, this is the only place you're safe."

April wanted to argue, to say _anything _that would prevent such action, but she could only sigh. "So, once we stop them, I can have my life back?"

"Yes." Leo nodded.

"Promise." Miwa added.

April looked down, but glared in determination. "Let's get started."

* * *

**Translations:**

**Otōsan, daijōbu desu – Father, it's okay.**

**Sumimasen - Excuse me**


End file.
